Time Goes On
by AniuKiba
Summary: Aeron hated Reno for four long years. But when she finds him, beaten and broken, she finds herself forgiving him. But can he forgive himself? And can her friends forgive him? RenoXOC After Dirge of Cerberus. Slight timeline tampering. Reno a bit OOC.
1. Meeting

Chapter 1

Aeron's POV

Meeting

November 11, 2012

It was early winter in Midgar, though that didn't stop it from being below zero and snowing like there was no tomorrow. I hurried through the streets, shivering my way home. That's when I saw him. It was an alley way I had passed everyday my whole life. One that I never looked down. I never looked down any alley way actually. Everyone knew what happened to people caught watching some of the awful things taking place in a them. But for the first time, I looked.

There, collapsed on the ground, was a boy. I wavered on the sidewalk for a moment, debating on whether or not to help him. In this weather, he was probably already dead. He wasn't moving at first, but then he did. Just barely, but it was definitely a sign of life. I growled at myself, half for looking and half for caring. Still shivering, I walked toward him slowly. As I got closer, I realized he was older than I had thought. About my age I would guess. And he was bleeding. From everywhere it seemed. I kneeled beside him.

"You poor thing… What happened to you?" I whispered to him. I reached a hand toward him, about to check his pulse, when I heard a quiet whimper. I couldn't help myself. I dusted the snow off of him, soon realizing that he was naked. It was a wonder he was alive.

"Come on kid. You're going to have to get up if I'm going to help you." I muttered, and to my surprise, he tried. He was so thin and pale, he looked like he was on the edge of death. I pulled him into a sitting position, letting him lean slightly against me while I took off my cloak. I regretted it instantly, but he needed it more than I did at the moment. I did despise the cold though. I wrapped the cloak around him and pulled him to his feet. He weighed almost nothing, which worried me even more. I pulled his arm around my shoulders and tried to support almost all of his weigh for him. Luckily for the both of us, my home was very close and it wasn't long before I had him in my front door.

Thanking the gods that I had thought to start a fire in the fireplace before I left, I put him down in the chair closest to the fire and covered him in blankets. He had finally begun to shiver, which was a good sign. If he was shivering, then his body hadn't given up hope of survival.

Reno's POV

I was dyin'. I knew I was. I mean really, who's gonna come lookin' for me, yo? I'm a Turk after all. Rude wouldn't be worried for another week or so and I'd be dead in less than an hour. Damn it, I knew showin' my face 'round Midgar was a bad idea. Even worse, I got trashed and tried to walk home. Hadn't made it far of course. I barely made it out of the bar before they jumped me, yo. I never saw who it was. They beat me pretty bad though, among other things I don't even wanna remember. Then they left me to die here. Beaten, broken and naked, covered in snow in an ally way.

I couldn't move. It hurt too much. Even bein' a Turk didn't help me now. There's only so much torture a guy can take, yo. Tseng would be proud though. I didn't make a single sound durin' that beatin', or anything else they did. I stopped tryin' to get us and just laid there, freezing. I realized I was givin' up but I didn't care. After what they'd done, I wanted to die. I didn't want to live through the humiliation. But just as I thought that, I heard a voice. It came from a girl.

"You poor thing… What happened to you?" was what the girl had said. Someone had found me. I tried to tell her to just let me die, but all I did was whimper. How pitiful is that, yo? I felt the snow bein' brushed off of me by warm hands. Well, in any other circumstance, they would have been warm, but they were scorchin' hot against my frozen skin now. I wanted to wince, but I couldn't bring my body to do so.

"Come on kid. You're going to have to get up if I'm going to help you." she muttered. She was actually tryin' to help me. Me of all people. I tried to get up, but like I said before, it hurt too damn much. So instead, she pulled me up. That really hurt, but nothin' would do what I told it to, so I couldn't make a single noise of protest. She wrapped something around me. A blanket maybe? I couldn't see anything, either from my eyes being swollen shut or the cold. I didn't really care though, yo. It was warm and smelled nice. Kinda like the flowers in that church Cloud used to stay in.

I felt myself bein' pulled to my feet. Everything hurt so damn much. Inside and out seemed to be ripped up and broken. Then there was somethin' warm under my arm. I looked down and saw blonde hair. Well, I think that's what it was anyway. Like I said, I couldn't see very well. She almost lifted me off my feet, easing some of the pain I was in, but not by much.

After what seemed like an hour of silent agony, we came to a door. She pushed it open and dragged me inside, closin' and lockin' the door behind us. I was met by sudden heat as she pulled me into what was probably her livin' room. She put me down in a big, soft chair by the fireplace and pulled blankets around me. I wanted so badly to object to her helpin' me. I just wanted to be left alone. It was too damn painful and humiliatin' to live. But I couldn't talk. I doubt she would have listened anyway. I started shiverin' again, which just added to the pain I was in. I pulled my knees up against my chest and looked at her, still not completely able to focus my vision. Was she smilin', yo?


	2. Recognition

Chapter 2

Aeron's POV

Recognition

I couldn't help myself. He looked so childish curled up on himself like that, peeking at me from over his knees. I just had to smile. I knew I should have probably put him in a bed or something, but none of them were by the fire. And they were all in their own rooms, where you would expect them to be. My room was on the second floor, but I didn't want to be too far away from him, incase he needed something.

"I am not carrying you all the way up those, boy. Looks like you'll be sleeping in the recliner for the night." I told him, not really expecting him to answer. I looked over to him and frowned. Those eyes. They looked so cold and lifeless. I let myself wonder what had happened to him, but quickly put the thoughts out of my mind. I would probably find out soon enough what had happened. I walked over to him and pulled the back of the chair down into a somewhat flat sleeping surface. He yelped a bit, but once the chair stopped going back, he calmed down and turned on his side, keeping those eyes glued to me.

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare you." I said, smiling and kneeling beside him so we were at eye level. When I did, I saw them. Those tattoos. This was that Turk. My eyes opened wide and I fell back on my butt.

"Y-you! You're the one who… Who dropped the plate on Sector Seven!" I gasped, hatred flaring up in my heart. I jumped to my feet, fully intent on throttling him. I raised my fist for the long awaited blow, but I couldn't hit him. He didn't look at all like he did that day. He liked like a totally different person. He saw my fist and just curled up on himself tighter, trying to hide it seemed. I heard a small sob escape his lips as I saw his body tense for the blow he was expecting.

I could bring myself to do it. I had waited so long to tear him apart, but it seemed that someone already had. I lowered my fist and returned to kneel beside him. I couldn't see his face anymore. It was hidden under the blankets. I wave of pity washed over me. I couldn't hate this man. He wasn't the same person who dropped that plate, even if he technically was. I reached a hand out to him slowly and pulled the blanket from over his eyes. He sobbed again and closed his eyes, obviously still expecting pain.

"It's alright Turk. I'm not going to hurt you. It seems someone already hurt you pretty badly, huh." His eyes fluttered open and fixed on mine. I smiled.

"I'm Aeron. And you are?"

Reno's POV

She really was smiling', though I couldn't really tell why. Maybe it was 'cause I looked so damn pitiful, curled up on myself like a scared kid. I guess I kinda was though. I was scared, yo. I hated admittin' that to myself. Even though I knew I was dyin' earlier, I didn't want to die now. I was sure I would too, once she realized who or what I was.

"I am not carrying you all the way up those, boy. Looks like you'll be sleeping in the recliner for the night." she told me. Who was she callin' 'boy', yo? I was probably older than her. My vision was startin' to clear and I could just make out the details of her face. Her eyes were the first thing I noticed. They practically glowed in the gloom. She had those Mako enhanced blue eyes for sure. But how, yo? She wasn't in SOLDIER and she didn't look like an escaped experiment. In fact, she looked like she could be a female version of Cloud. The same porcelain toned skin and those full lips. That same bright blonde hair too. Now that was a scary thought. There could only be so many of the broodin' blondes in existence. One was enough in my book, yo.

She walked over to me and pressed the back of the chair back. I thought it was going to fall back, so I yelped. It startled me, alright, yo! But when I realized it was just leaned back, I calmed down and turned on my side to keep an eye on the girl. She didn't seem like she was dangerous, but that's what people thought about Sephiroth too.

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare ya." she said, kneelin' down beside me. I looked into those Mako eyes and tried to search them for somethin' that would give away her true intentions. She had to recognize me by now. And she did. Her eyes went wide and she fell back on her butt. Any other time, I probably would have laughed.

"Y-you! You're the one who… Who dropped the plate on Sector Seven!" she gasped, pure rage fillin' her eyes. I was sure I would die now, yo. She jumped to her feet and raised her fist. Fear took over and I curled up more, hidin' my face, not wantin' to see the blow that would hurt me so badly. I couldn't hold in a quiet sob. But the blow didn't come. I lay there, at her mercy, expectin' the pain, but it never came. What the hell yo? Was she just waitin' until I let my guard down? Then I felt somethin' movin' the blanket in front of my eyes. It was her. I closed my eyes quickly and sobbed again.

"It's alright Turk. I'm not going to hurt you. It seems someone already hurt you pretty badly, huh." she said softly, with no hate in her voice at all. I opened my eyes. She was smilin' again.

"I'm Aeron. And you are?" she asked, that sweet smile still on her face. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. I sure as hell didn't want to keep bein' called 'Turk', yo. She reached forward slowly and brushed some of my hair out of my face.

"It's alright. You don't have to tell me now. You need to sleep." she said, usin' her other hand to push my knees away from my chest until I was layin' stretched out on my side.

"Go to sleep Turk. I'll be here when you wake up, alright." she told me. Then sleep suddenly overcame me.


	3. Helping

Chapter 3

Helping

Reno slept on the recliner in front of the fire while Aeron busied herself with making a more comfortable place for him to sleep. She had dragged a bed from one of the guest bedrooms and was making it with clean sheets and blankets. She looked over at the sleeping Turk, remembering that he was still drenched in his own blood and water from the snow. Sighing, she walked over to him and pulled back the blanket. She would really have to find something for him to wear. She decided that he would probably fit into her older brother's old clothes.

She pulled her cloak out from under him and threw it into a corner. It would need a good cleaning before she used it again. The poor man's body was nearly ruined. There were slashes and bruises everywhere on him. Nothing seemed to be untouched on his body. She traced a strange bruise on his hip with her fingertips softly, noticing that it looked very similar to the mark a hand would make when it grasped something too tightly. At this, Reno began to whimper in his sleep. She pulled the blankets back over him and wrapped her hand around his.

"It's okay Turk. You're safe." she cooed as his nightmare continued. A tear streamed down his cheek as he shifted around restlessly. She petted his hair until he calmed down once again. She walked back into the kitchen and filled a bowl with warm water and a washcloth. She returned to his side and pulled up two stools beside him, one for her, the other for the bowl. She had just begun cleaning his wounds when he began flailing, frantically trying to escape whatever was hurting him in his nightmare.

"No… No! Don't, yo! Oh Gods, please… No!" he sobbed, beginning to thrash about wildly. Aeron slid off the stool and put her hands on his shoulders, attempting to stop him from hurting himself more. This only scared Reno worse. He continued to thrash and sob.

"Turk! Wake up! It's just a nightmare!" she yelled, snapping him out of sleep. His eyes flew open and quickly spilled over with tears. She released him as he sat up, his hands coming up to cover his face. She reached out and petted his hair gently, trying to soothe him.

"It's okay. It was just a nightmare. You're alright. Relax." she whispered. Reno's body was racked with sobs that just wouldn't stop. Aeron stood up and wrapped another blanket around his shoulders. Her arms went around him doing so, and to both their shock, he leaned into her chest.


	4. Comfort

Chapter 4

Reno's POV

Comfort

They were there again, yo. Those people who did this to me. They were beatin' me again. Then it was him. He pulled my pants off and then his own. He kneeled behind me and I knew what was next.

"No… No! Don't! Oh Gods, please… No!" I sobbed, struggling' to get away from them. Someone pressed me down so I couldn't move, which only made me fight harder.

"Turk! Wake up! It's just a nightmare!" some one yelled at me. My eyes snapped open and I came face to face with those Mako eyes once again. It was that girl who saved me. Aeron. I started to cry, tears practically gushin' out of my eyes, yo. She let me go and I sat up, ignorin' my body's painful protests. I covered my face with my hands as the shame washed over me once again. She started to pet my hair softly, trying to comfort me no doubt, but I still couldn't stop cryin'.

"It's okay. It was just a nightmare. You're alright. Relax." she whispered. I was sobbin' now, uncontrollably. I couldn't stop if I tried, which I wasn't doin' anyway. I didn't have enough energy to stop the tears, yo. She pulled a blanket around my shoulders. Her body was against mine. Unable to stop myself, I leaned into her, prayin' she wouldn't push me away.

She didn't either. Instead, she wrapped her arms around my shoulders tighter, pullin' me against her chest. I really let loose on the water works then, feelin' like a total puss. But gods she was warm. And so soft. That smell of flowers enveloped me once again and I let a sigh escape my lips. For some reason, it felt safe here.

"Hey. What's your name? I don't want to keep calling you 'Turk'." she asked. Her voice was so soft and comfortin'.

"Reno." I whispered. It was all I could manage to say. My throat was swollen and sore. It felt like I had swallowed a thousand needles. She must have heard this in my voice, 'cause she let me go and walked into another room, soon comin' back with a glass of water. She pressed it to my lips. It was warm water, but I didn't object to it. It made my throat feel so much better than it had a moment ago. She pulled the glass away, set it on a stool beside her.

"Well, Reno, I'm going to need you to lay back down. You're covered in wounds and they need to be cleaned." she told me, pushin' me onto my back once again. Had I not been so weak I would have protested, but I couldn't. I was so tired all of a sudden. I blinked a few times, trying to keep my eyes open, but failed. This chick drugged my drink, yo. I quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

Aeron's POV

I felt a bit bad about drugging him, but I didn't want him to wake up in the middle of me cleaning out all those cuts. I pulled the blanket back and set to work on some of the deeper wounds on his chest. I felt a pang of sorrow for the poor guy. I had to be a bit shocked that he had survived, even if he was a Turk. He was dehydrated, from blood loss no doubt and it looked like he'd been run over repeatedly.

"How did this happen to a Turk of all people?" I wondered aloud, turning to rinse the blood off of the cloth. Once I had all the blood off of his chest and stomach, I noticed that a few of his ribs were broken. I should have guessed, since everything else on him was damaged. I sighed, annoyed by the fact I had no materia left to use. The last Cure materia I had I gave to a small child for his sister's broken arm.

"Looks like you'll just have to heal naturally then Reno." I said to the sleeping boy while setting his ribs. Once that was done, I got up and went into my bathroom in search of something to use as bandages. After rummaging through the closet, I finally found some along with some tape. Perhaps I should organize more often. Walking back out to him, I noticed the trail of melted snow and blood on my floor from the door to the chair. I frowned, realizing that I would soon have to clean that up before it soaked in.

I sat back down beside him and piled the bandages onto his lap. I began wrapping them around his chest to keep his ribs set and to cover the numerous, still bleeding injuries he had. Gods he was messed up. As I finished wrapping, I glanced up at his face.

I had to admit, he was rather attractive, even if his eyes were still swollen half shut and his mouth was all busted up. It mildly surprised me he didn't have any teeth knocked out. I had seen his eyes earlier, since he wouldn't take them off of me. They were quite beautiful. They were a unique aqua tone, from Mako injections no doubt. Their usage was obvious from the slight glow his eyes had. They held no comparison to mine though. After eight years of Mako injections, my blood was more Mako infected than even those in SOLDIER.

"Damn you Reno. Making me think of the past like that." I couldn't help but talk to him. I lived alone for so long and had no one around to talk to since my brother's death four years ago. He looked like the type of guy who never shut his mouth once you got him started. I pulled the blanket off the lower part of his body and checked for any serious injury. After finding none, I pulled the blankets back over him and stood up to stretch my tired muscles. I was usually asleep by now, as it was already dark outside.

"I may as well crash here then. It's not like you'll mind." I chuckled as I walked to the bed I had dragged beside the chair. Reno would be asleep in it soon enough, but I would take it for the night. With any luck, he wouldn't wake up until morning anyway. I flopped down on the soft mattress and quickly fell asleep.


	5. Explanation

**A/N: I will no longer be writing in first person POV. It will be thrid person POV from now on. Also, since I tried sticking as closely to the Final Fantasy Timeline as I could, the dates are technically in the future. That is simply because I wanted to write this after all the battles and such. I did change some of the events though, which I will explain once they come up in the story.**

**Enjoy! **

**AniuKiba Out~**

Chapter 5

Explanation

November 12, 2012

Reno awoke before Aeron. He was drenched in sweat and dizzy. He wondered momentarily where he was, but then remembered. He pushed the blankets off his chest and inspected the new bandages. Blood was already soaking through them.

"Damn, I'm fucked up, yo." he moaned, covering his face with his hand. Aeron began to stir when she heard his voice.

"I'll have to agree with you on that one." she agreed sleepily, turning on her side to face Reno. He jumped when he heard her voice and looked around. Then he saw those Mako blue eyes again and relaxed slightly.

"It's good to see you made it through the night. You weren't looking so good when I checked on you earlier." she said, getting up and walking over to him. She had woken up every two hours to check on him and was quite tired. She moved his hand and replaced it with her own on his forehead and sighed.

"You've still got a fever. You're probably thirsty, huh. I'll be right back." she said, turning to go into the kitchen.

"Don't drug me this time, yo." he said quickly, trying to sit up and failing. He was still slightly groggy from the last dose she gave him. Even though the Mako in his system was slowly ridding him of the drug, it wasn't doing it nearly as fast as he would have liked. He heard a soft laugh from the kitchen and she came back, carrying a glass of water and a small bowl of soup.

"I should have guessed you'd know. But don't worry, I don't plan on drugging you again. Here, drink this." she told him, holding the glass of water in front of him. He reached for it with very shaky hands.

"Well, that's no good. You'll spill it all over if you try holding it in this condition. Let me help." she said, holding the glass to his lips. He drank greedily, only stopping when Aeron took the glass away so he could breathe. After the glass was empty, he looked over and eyed the bowl of soup that Aeron had set down on one of the stools beside him. She smiled softly and pulled the chair into it's upright position.

"I suppose you're well enough to eat something. I hope you don't mind miso. It's the only light soup I have. I'll go shopping later and get something else." she said and set the bowl on his lap. It smelled quite good and he soon had half of it gone, once again only stopping when Aeron stopped him so he could take a breath.

"You should really pace yourself Reno. You'll end up vomiting it all back up if you keep this pace." she warned, wiping a bit of splashed soup from his cheek with her sleeve. He flinched at the soft touch and she quickly pulled her hand back.

"So, why you helpin' me? I'm a Turk. Don't you hate us, yo?" he murmured, not looking up from his lap. Aeron frowned.

"I never really hated the Turks. Actually, the only one I ever really hated was you. You're the one who dropped the Sector Seven plate. I was there. You killed my brother that day. I hated you because you… You were smiling when you did it." she whispered the last part, feeling the hatred in the heart once again.

"I'm sorry. About your brother I mean. It was an order, yo. I didn't enjoy doing it, if that's what you thought." he whispered in reply. Then he looked up.

"You didn't answer my question though. Why help me if you hate me, yo?" he asked. Aeron smiled and looked him in the eyes.

"I wanted to beat you senseless for what you did. But it seems you already got hurt pretty badly. That and…" she trailed off, looking down once again.

"And what?" he asked.

"My brother. He'd always wanted to be a Turk. He said you guys were honorable, even if no one else believed him. I guess I couldn't let him down by letting you die. I know he would have helped you." she smiled sadly, almost crying at the memory of him.

"He would have been excited to meet you really. Even with you looking like a dog used you as a chew toy." she laughed softly, looking back up at Reno. He tried to smile back, but for once in his life, couldn't manage to do so.


	6. Bath

Chapter 6

Bath

"So, what now, yo?" ha finally asked. Aeron shrugged and looked him over.

"You feel up to taking a bath? You look like hell." she said, I slight grin gracing her features. He had to admit, she was quite attractive. The kind of girl he would have hit on in a pub for sure. She tilted her head, her blonde bangs falling over her left eye.

"I do, don't I. Guess a bath couldn't hurt, yo." he said. She pulled a clean cloak off the bed and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"Can you walk?" she asked, helping him out of the chair. Her question was answered immediately at he lost his balance and fell against her.

"I guess not." she said as she wrapped her arm around him gently, avoiding his broken ribs. He still winced, but it hurt less than he expected. She helped him into the bathroom and put him down on the edge of the bath tub. He cringed, but said nothing.

Once she had filled the tub with warm water, she reached into the closet and retrieved a bag of fine blue powder. He eyed it suspiciously.

"It's a pain killer. Trust me, you'll want it. Hot water and open wounds aren't a fun mix. It won't make you groggy, so don't worry about that." she explained while she sprinkled half of the powder into the water, turning it a soft blue-green color. She turned to him as he went to pull the cloak around him tighter, hiding most of his body.

"Would you like me to leave you alone now?" she asked, standing and pulling a few towels out of the closet. The looked quite soft and were conveniently black in color. He would have felt bad if they were white. Blood stains were very hard to get out after all. He nodded and looked down at his lap. She put the towels on a shelf close to the tub and rested her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be right outside if you need anything. Don't hesitate to call. Trust me, I'll hear you." she said. She then turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. Reno sighed in relief and pulled the cloak off of him. He looked down at his damaged body and grimaced. He really did look awful. There were cuts all over and where they ended, the bruises began. He pulled the bandages off and inspected his chest. He could feel at least four ribs broken. They had been set he noticed.

"Glad I didn't feel that, yo." he sighed and put a foot into the warm water. It felt nice, so he put the other foot in and soon followed with his body. The water stung his cuts, but he suspected that it would have hurt more if not for that blue powder Aeron had used. Once he was all the way in the water, he stretched his legs out. He was mildly surprised that he fit in the tub completely, since he was usually too tall to do so. He tilted his head back and let his body relax.

Meanwhile, Aeron busied herself with cleaning. First the chair, which by now had accumulated quite a bit of Reno's blood. Once that was clean and the dirty blankets were thrown into a pile with her cloak, she cleaned up the now dry blood trail from her door to the chair. That took a bit longer than she expected, but she let out a relieved sigh when she noticed that there were no stains in the light colored wood floor. Letting her eyes wander, she soon found that she was looking at the bathroom door. It had been at least fifteen minutes since she heard the Turk slip into the water. She walked over to the door and knocked lightly.

"Reno? Are you okay in there?" she asked softly. When he didn't reply, she pushed the door open slowly and peeked in. He had fallen asleep. She smiled, thinking he looked rather cute sleeping with his mouth open ever so slightly. She walked in and kneeled beside him, placing her hand on his forehead. He still had a fever, but it was cooling down.

"Reno. Wake up." she said, gently shaking him. He didn't respond. She shook him a bit harder this time.

"Reno," she said a bit louder, "You have you wake up." he began to stir and looked at her through half lidded eyes.

"Aeron?" he asked sleepily. She nodded.

"Come on Reno. You've got to wake up. You need to bathe." she explained, putting a soapy washcloth in his hand. He grumbled something and tried to sit up, once again failing. Aeron put her hand behind his neck and helped him up, steadying him as he swayed dizzily. He was definitely going to sleep well once she got him back to bed she decided.


	7. Understanding

Chapter 7

Understanding

"Do you need help?" she asked. He looked confused for a moment, making her momentarily regret drugging him earlier. Who knew he'd be this affected? Then he looked down, mildly ashamed and nodded. She took the washcloth out of his hand and started at his neck and shoulders. Once those were clean, she moved to his back, taking care to wash out each cut she came across. Next was his chest. Again, she made sure to clean each cut carefully. He winced and whimpered a bit, but made no move to stop her. She then moved to his legs, washing his feet first, which were cut up, probably from running without shoes. Then to his shins and knees. Once she came about mid thigh, Reno whined softly. She looked up at him, noticing that tears had formed in his worried eyes.

"Here." she said, handing him the cloth, "You finish. I'll go get you something to wear, alright?" she said, suddenly realizing the extent of what had happened to him. It explained the hand print she had found. He'd been through more than just a good beating. She walked out, leaving the door slightly open as she went to her brother's old room in search of something for him to wear.

Reno sighed and finished washing himself, wincing with every brush of the soft fabric. Aeron was a girl and he still got scared when she got too close. He was permanently ruined he decided. Once he had finished bathing, he looked around the room. There was a window above the bath that was covered with a dark curtain. The sink and other bathroom accessories were all made of fine black marble, offset by the dark colored wood it was set into. Even the tub was made of the black marble. Beside him, on the same shelf as the towels, was a bottle of shampoo and one of conditioner. He reached for it, but his ribs ached from the movement. He sighed once again. His hair felt gross. He'd have to ask Aeron to wash it for him.

Aeron walked back in, seeing that Reno was finished bathing. She noticed that he was looking at the bottles of hair products beside him. Without a word, she set the clothes she had found down and picked up the shampoo bottle, pouring a bit into her hand. He looked up at her, curious as to how she knew, but said nothing. With her free hand, she pulled the shower extension off of it's holder on the wall and turned it on over Reno's head, soaking his hair thoroughly.

With that, she began to gently massage the shampoo through his messy red hair. Reno immediately tense at her touch, but relaxed under the soft massage he was getting. Once she was sure all the blood was out of it, she rinsed the soap out, being careful of his eyes. Once that was done, she conditioned it and rinsed that out as well. He grimaced as he saw that the water, which had been a soft blue, had turned a sickly purple from the blood.

"Feel better now?" she asked, again kneeling beside him. He nodded and tried to smile. He still couldn't manage to though. Hoping that she would mistake it for water from his hair, he let a tear slide down his cheek. He didn't know why, but all he wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry. Yeah, being a Turk ment you had to be tough, but after what had happened, what they'd done, he felt utterly broken. Before Aeron could stop herself, she wiped away the tear with a fingertip, smiling softly.

"It's okay Reno. Come on, let's get you dry." she said, offering him her hand. He looked at it momentarily and took it. She pulled him to his feet, letting him use her to balance as he got out of the water. Once he was standing on the bathroom rug, she reached over and wrapped a towel around his waist, causing him to flinch and step back. She sighed and took his hand in hers, guiding it to the towel around his waist. Once he was holding it, though still jumpy, she took the other towel and covered his head with it, beginning to gently dry his hair. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, relaxing and her hands worked. He couldn't help himself. It just felt so good.

"Hey Reno, can you dry yourself off, or do you need help?" she asked, pulling the towel back, off of his head. He frowned. It would hurt a lot to do it himself, but he wasn't sure he wanted her touching him. He still had the lingering fear that she would hurt him, even if she hadn't yet.

"I promise not to hurt you. And I'll stop as soon as you say. I just want to get you dry so I can wrap your wounds. They're starting to bleed again." she said, trying not to sound too urgent. He simply sighed and nodded, knowing she was right. She again started with his shoulders and went down his back from there. He whined quietly again when she got to his lower back, but said nothing, so she continued. Once his back side was dry, she moved to his front, starting with his chest. She patted very softly when she got to his broken ribs, not even causing him to flinch. She dried his stomach, but to his relief, she skipped over his groin and went to his thighs and the rest of his legs. Once those were dry, she handed him the towel.

"Here. I think you'd rather dry the rest yourself." she said knowingly as he took the towel. She turned around and started rummaging through the closet again, looking for more bandages and giving Reno a bit of privacy. He dried himself quickly and wrapped the towel around his waist. She turned around and handed him a pair of pajama pants.

"They'll be big on you, but I don't think you'll want to wear anything tight for a while." she said as Reno dropped the towel and quickly put them on. She was right, they were quite big on him, but they were comfortable. Blood had begun leaking from the cuts on his back and chest, so Aeron wrapped one of the towels around him and led him out of the bathroom.


	8. Miso

Chapter 8

Miso

"I'm glad to see you can walk now. I was worried." she said, leading him to the bed in the middle of the living room. He quirked an eyebrow at it's placement and she chuckled quietly.

"I didn't think sleeping in a chair all the time would be good for you. I dragged it out last night while you were asleep." she explained, helping him sit down on it. It was quite soft and far more comfortable than the chair. While she went back to the bathroom for the bandages and to drain the tub, he looked around the house.

It was quite large. Not something he expected someone Aeron's age to live in. It must be her parent's house he decided. There was a large fancy staircase that led upstairs and another room that he assumed was the kitchen. Then there was the bathroom across the hall from that. In front of the front door was a bucket of what seemed to be bloody water. He grimaced at the sight of that, realizing that he must have been the source of the now cleaned mess. The floor, he noticed, was made of a light wood, accented by the walls, which were paneled with a darker wood. It was a very beautiful house. Did she live here all alone?

His thoughts were cut short by Aeron's reappearance. Her arms were full of bandages and other medical supplies. Her upper lip was curled up, balancing a thermometer, having no more room in her hands. Reno couldn't help himself. He smiled. Not a true smile of course. It just barely flitted across his face before it was gone again. She smiled back though, almost dropping the thermometer but catching it in her mouth.

"I knew you could smile." she said cheerfully as she dropped her burden onto the bed beside him. He looked up at her and shrugged.

"I couldn't really help it. You looked so funny, yo." he replied. She reached for him and pulled the towel away from him and set to work wrapping his chest and back. He would do well to get stitches, but she had a feeling he'd object.

"There. All done." she said when she'd finished. He looked down and inspected her work. It looked professional.

"You a nurse, yo?" he asked, slowly sounding less timid. She frowned and shook her head.

"No. I'm just used to patching my-… I'm just used to patching people up." she explained, almost saying 'myself' instead of 'people'. He nodded and went to lay down. Then his stomach grumbled.

"That's my cue then." she said and skipped into the kitchen, soon returning with another, bigger bowl of miso. She pulled a side table over to him and set the bowl on it.

"I think you should eat liquids for a while, if you don't mind. You might not be able to keep solids down yet. You still have a fever." she explained, handing Reno a spoon. He just nodded and started eating. While he was busy, Aeron set about tidying the house, just to keep busy. While he ate, Reno kept his eyes on her, watching as she flitted around the living room and into the kitchen. She was so graceful. No wonder though, since she practically glowed with Mako. That brought a question to his mind.

"Hey, Aeron?" he asked. She popped her head out of the kitchen, her bright eyes fixing on his.


	9. Mako

Chapter 9

Mako

"Yeah Reno?" she asked. He looked into his miso.

"I was wondering. About your eyes, yo. That's Mako, right?" he asked quietly, afraid to meet her eyes for some reason. She frowned and sighed.

"I wondered if you'd ask about that." she said, walking back over to him and sitting beside him. He looked over at her.

"Yeah, it's Mako. I had the injections since I was really young, but for some reason, I never got sick from it or addicted to it. It went on until I was eight. Then he died and my brother started taking care of me." she explained, telling him everything and nothing all at once. She didn't mention it was her father who had given her the Mako. Or that it was her brother who had killed him.

"He?" Reno asked. She smiled at him and shrugged.

"No one important. Just a scientist who had nothing better to do than cruel experiments on children." she said, getting up and walking to the window.

"It's still snowing. We'll be snowed in soon if this doesn't let up." she said absently, changing the subject. Reno knew how to take a hint and nodded.

"Won't that make it herd for you to go to work?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I don't really have a job. I occasionally work at Cloud Strife's orphanage, but I don't get paid. I just like it there." she replied.

"You know Spiky then, yo?" he asked, actually surprising her.

"Spiky? You mean Cloud? Yes, I know him." she replied. Reno nodded and took another sip of soup.

"I guess that means you do too. Would you like me to call him and tell him you're alright then?" she asked. At that, Reno scoffed.

"No. He wouldn't care, yo. We're not exactly friends you know." he said, the disdainful amusement clear in his voice. Aeron shrugged and turned back to the window.

"Well, is there anyone I should call. I'm sure someone is worried about you." she said absently, half knowing he'd refuse, which he did.

"There's no one. If there is, then they'll find me themselves, yo." he said, picking up the bowl and dumping the rest of the soup into his mouth.

"That's pretty good. You're a good cook, yo." he said, setting the bowl back down and leaning back.

"You don't want to be found by anyone, do you." she said. It was a statement, not a question. He quirked an eyebrow but sighed.

"So what if I don't?" he asked. It was true. He didn't want anyone to find him. He knew they would eventually, but he wasn't going to be the one to help them.

"Nothing." she replied, leaving it at that for the time being.


	10. Stay

Chapter 10

Stay

November 19, 2012

After a week had passed, Aeron noticed that Reno didn't seem to want to leave. Though he could easily get up and move about on his own now, he never once approached the front door. It was early in the evening and she was cleaning a few dishes from their lunch that afternoon. Reno walked into the dining room and sat at the table behind her. She thought for a moment, then she spoke.

"Reno, would you like to stay here?" she asked suddenly. He looked up, surprised by the question.

"What?" he asked, not sure he had heard correctly.

"It's just that you don't seem eager to leave and no one else lives here. There are four rooms upstairs and six down here, so I have plenty of room." she explained, turning to face him and resting her hands on her hips.

"Of course, you'll have to pick up after yourself and keep everything clean. Do your own dishes and clean your own bathroom. I do all the laundry, so that's not a problem. And if you decide to get plastered, as I assume you do often, please do not make a mess without cleaning it up. If you do, You'll wake up covered in it." she finished, smirking.

"You mean, you wouldn't mind me stickin' around here, yo?" he asked, somewhat suspicious. She shook her head and shrugged.

"I won't lie. I like the company. And it's not like you really have anywhere else to go if you don't want to be found." she said, walking over to him. For the first time in the whole time he'd been there, he actually managed a small smile.

"Thanks. You sure it won't be troublesome, yo?" he asked as she sat in the chair closest to him. She shrugged.

"Well, do you make a habit of being beaten to a pulp?" she asked, laughing softly. He grinned.

"I try not to, yo." he said, leaning forward, wincing a bit. Most of his cuts and bruises had begun to heal nicely, but the ones on his chest still bled a bit on occasion and his ribs still ached badly. She stood up and began walking toward her room. She stopped when she got to the stairs.

"Oh, by the way Reno. I'm having a friend of mine over tonight. He comes over every few weeks for dinner and such. Would you like to join us? I'm sure you'll love his cooking." she asked. Reno shrugged.

"I don't have anythin' to wear for a fancy dinner. But sure, I'll join you if your friend doesn't mind, yo." he replied. Aeron smiled and took off up the stairs, returning quickly with clothes. She tossed them to Reno, who haphazardly caught them.

"What's this, yo?" he asked.

"Just try it on. It's what you'll wear to dinner if it fits." she replied, disappearing up the stairs again and into her room. Reno sighed. He still hadn't gotten used to the way she acted. But he was curious as to what she'd given him, so he walked into the bathroom and tried the outfit on.

Unbeknownst to Reno, Aeron was still standing on the balcony when he had finished dressing. She couldn't hold in a shocked gasp when he walked out. He was wearing a pair of rather tight leather pants and a white button up shirt that he hadn't tucked in or buttoned all the way up. He looked gorgeous, she thought.

"That looks really good on you!" she said, almost scaring Reno half to death.

"What's wrong with you girl! Don't shout at people when they don't know you're there, yo." he yelled, clutching his chest dramatically. She giggled and trotted over to the stairs, sliding down the banister. He shook his head.

"Aeron, you act half your age, yo. You know that, right?" he said, inspecting himself in the hall mirror. He had to say, he didn't look half bad. She nodded and looked him up and down.

"It looks good. He'll be here soon, so you should go shower before he arrives." she said, pushing him back into the bathroom. He sighed as she closed the door behind him. She was a bossy one alright. He stripped and started the hot water, wondering who it was exactly that was coming to dinner. He heard the shower in Aeron's room kick on just as he was lathering his hair with shampoo. He absently wondered what Aeron was going to wear if he had to dress up too.


	11. Vincent

**A/N: I am sorry if Vincent is OOC, but I just had to make him charming and highly articulate. Sort of to clash with Aeron's cheer and Reno's... Well, Reno is Reno, which makes him clash perfectly with Vincent. He just had to be that prince charming perfect guy I guess. Now I shall shut up so you can get on with the story!**

Chapter 11

Vincent

Amazingly, Aeron was out of the shower before Reno and was already dressed and getting everything ready for dinner. As Reno emerged from the steam cloud he had turned the bathroom into, he continued to dry his hair with a towel. He walked into the kitchen and was met with quite a sight.

Aeron had just set the table and put on a record. The soft waltz drifted through the house pleasantly as she danced around the kitchen, getting everything ready. Reno's mouth was open slightly, in surprise. She looked utterly beautiful. She was wearing a black evening dress that ended just above her knee. The bottom had tons of ruffles. The top was low cut with a single shoulder strap with more ruffles on it. She wore black heels that laced up to her ankles. Her hair was down for once, ending at her waist. He hadn't noticed before that it was so long or that it curled at the ends because she always kept it up. She noticed Reno and walked over to him.

"What do you think?" she asked, meaning how the dining room looked. But Reno couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Beautiful, yo." he said, shocked by her drastic change in appearance. She smiled and held her hand out.

"Do you waltz?" she asked. Of course, he had no idea how to.

"No. Sorry." he replied, feeling a bit out of his element. She smiled anyway and ruffled his hair.

"You look hilarious. Go finish drying your hair and brush it out. He'll be here by the time our done, I'm sure." she said. Reno nodded and returned to his bathroom. As he closed the door, he heard the door bell ring. Which was followed by the sound of heels clicking over the wood floor. The door opening and Aeron squealing something inaudible in delight. Reno couldn't make out the words as he turned on the blow dryer.

"Vincent! You shouldn't have!" Aeron squealed, throwing her arms around the man at her door. He laughed lightly and hugged her back, holding the bag of groceries he'd brought to the side so they wouldn't be crushed.

"It is good to see you too Aeron. I know how much you like these chocolates, so I figured you would like the surprise." he said, prying her off of him to hand them to her. She took them and stood aside so Vincent could enter. He walked into the kitchen and set about preparing dinner. She was happy to see that he'd changed out of his usual leather outfit and into something a bit more normal, even if it was all still black. Though he of course still wore his flowing red cape. She sighed as she began unfastening the buckles that kept it on him.

"I've told you a million times. Stop wearing this thing to dinner." She giggled as he picked her up and put her on the counter top.

"I can take it off on my own, thank you." he said, amused at how unusually cheerful she was. She stayed on the counter, swinging her feet like a small child. He rolled his eyes and grinned.

"So your new houseguest is joining us for dinner then?" he asked, noticing that the table was set for three. She grinned widely and nodded.

"Yup. He's still drying his hair at the moment." she explained.

"So, do I at least get to know his name?" Vincent asked. She shook her head.

"Nope. Not until you meet him." she said. Just as she said that, Reno walked out of the bathroom and into the dining room, fluffing his hair. He stopped dead when he saw Vincent.

"What're you doing here Valentine?" he exclaimed. Vincent shrugged.

"I could ask you the same thing, Reno." he replied. Aeron looked dumbfounded for a moment before hopping off the counter and stepping between the two men.

"You know each other?" she asked, though it was an obvious answer. Vincent spoke first.

"Yes, Aeron. Reno and I have met. I was in AVALANCHE, remember. Of course I know him. He is a Turk." he stated simply, resting his gauntlet covered hand protectively on her shoulder. Reno glared at Vincent and stepped toward Aeron.

"Does this mean you won't be joining us for dinner then Reno?" she asked, trying to break the tension in the room. At this, both men looked at her shocked.

"He's your guest?" the both said at once. Aeron couldn't hold in a quiet laugh and nodded.

"I hope that's not a problem. I'd hate to have dinner alone." she said, reaching up and resting her hand on Vincent's. Reno composed himself and shrugged.

"I'm fine with it if the vampire is." he said, gesturing at Vincent, who growled softly. Aeron squeezed his hand gently, silently asking him to stay. Vincent sighed.

"I do not mind." Vincent said stoically, turning back to the stove and whatever he was cooking. Aeron frowned and stood in the middle of the room as silence descended upon the group.


	12. Dancing

Chapter 12

Dancing

After a few minutes though, she couldn't deal with the silence anymore. Walking out of the room momentarily, she came back with the record player, which she set down on the counter. After making sure it wouldn't get in Vincent's way, she set it up and turned it on. The soft melody she had played earlier began to play again.

"Come on Reno. Dance with me while Vincent cooks." she said, offering him her hand. He frowned.

"But I told you, I don't know how to, yo." he said. She smiled and grabbed one of his hands, dragging him into the living room.

"I'll teach you. After you help me move all this stuff out of the way." she said, pointing at the living room furniture. Once that was done, she stood in front of Reno and took his hand in hers.

"I'll lead until you get the hang of it, alright. Then I'll let you take over." she said, placing his right hand under her left arm and her left hand on his right shoulder.

"Ready?" she asked. He shook his head, but was ignored as the music suddenly got louder, compliments of Vincent who had stepped away from the stove to watch the lesson. She started counting from one to three, repeating it until it was an easy rhythm to follow. She pulled him toward her a step and then to the left, pushed him back a step and to the right. This continued until Reno started to understand how the steps worked. He was soon leading, dancing all around the living room with her in tow. Vincent smiled to himself and returned to his cooking, leaving the two alone.

"This particular song is called Waltz of the Flowers. Vincent gave the record to me because he said that a Waltz of the Flowers reminded him of me. I'm often told that I smell of flowers." she explained, smiling as Reno led her around.

"You do, yo. It's the first thing I noticed about you actually." he replied, his eyes fixed on hers. She blushed lightly as he spun them once again.

"You look beautiful tonight, you know. Valentine's lucky he gets to see you like this so much, yo." he said softly, smiling slightly down at her. He pulled her closer as the continued their seventh lap around the room.

"Thank you. I'm pleased that you picked this up so fast. I was a much slower learner, but luckily for me, Vincent is quite patient." she replied as she was pulled closer yet again. Her cheek was now resting on Reno's chest. He looked down, having never realized how small she really was.

"Aeron. Reno. Dinner's almost ready. Would you come join me?" called Vincent, his tone back to the sweet sounding one he always used with Aeron. After a few more steps, Reno stopped and let her go.

"Shall we, milady?" he asked bowing and kissing her hand. She giggled.

"Why yes, I believe we shall my kind sir." she said, unable to hold back her cheer. Reno smiled and led her back to the kitchen where Vincent was serving dinner. Reno pulled out the chair on the end for Aeron and pushed it in once she was seated. He then sat beside her.

"Smells good, yo." he said, sniffing the air. Vincent frowned slightly as he pulled the bread out of the oven.

"Do you even know what it is?" he asked incredulously. Reno shrugged.

"Not a clue. How about you tell me then, yo?" he asked. Vincent rolled his eyes.

" A Savory Coeur a la Crème with crackers as an appetizer. Tortelli di Castagne: Chestnut Tortelli and fresh French bread for the main course. And Crème Brulee Tarts for dessert." he replied smugly as Reno just looked at him dumbly. Aeron couldn't hold in a laugh.

"And what kind of wine are we having this time Vincent?" she asked excitedly. He smiled and walked over to the grocery bag he'd brought with him.

"I know how much you like aged red wines, so I brought my best Merlot made in Junon." he said, easily popping the cork out with one of his gauntlet's fingers. Aeron clapped and waited happily for him to pour the wine. Reno, on the other hand, would have preferred a hard liquor to any kind of wine, but he held his tongue.

Vincent served the appetizers, which Reno thoroughly enjoyed. Then the main course, which was then followed by dessert. Aeron had had two glasses of wine by the end of dinner and had a soft flush to her cheeks. Vincent had only had a single glass. They were having a lively conversation while Reno quaffed his seventh glass of wine. He reached across the table for the bottle, but Vincent quickly moved it out of his reach.

Not wanting to argue, Reno told Aeron that he would be going to bed now. She kissed him on the cheek and he stumbled out of the dining room and flopped down on his bed in the living room. He was quickly asleep.


	13. Cloud

**A/N: Sorry again. Now Cloud shall be the slightly OOC one. He's decided to take the protective big brother role. ^_^" Which kind of makes him act a bit Rawr~. But no worries. He's not changed very much. Perhaps just a bit more expressive than usual.**

Chapter 13

Cloud

"Oh dear. Did I just kiss him Vincent?" Aeron asked, blushing deeply. He smiled and nodded.

"I am afraid so. I do not think he will remember it though. He is quite drunk." he said, patting her on the head. She grinned and looked out at Reno, who was sleeping on his face.

"He's going to regret that in the morning." she giggled. Vincent nodded and got up, collecting the dinner plates. He set about doing the dishes while Aeron sat on the counter beside him, playing with his long raven hair. She adored her Vincent. She had once been quite smitten with him, but soon came to think of him as an older brother almost. Besides the dark hair, he was quite a bit like her brother. They acted almost alike as well. Once Vincent had finished the dishes and dried his hands, he picked Aeron up off the counter top and set her down in front of him. He bowed and offered her his hand.

"May I have this dance, my acushla?" he asked, using her favorite pet name. It meant darling and she'd always adored how it rolled right off his tongue. She curtsied and gave him her hand. He led her into the living room, making sure to turn the music low enough so as not to wake Reno. They swirled around the floor so gracefully, it was as if they simply floated.

Unknown to them, Reno was watching them through half closed eyes. He felt a sudden hint of jealousy as he watched Vincent spin and dip Aeron so gracefully. They were dancing in a far more advanced manner than he had been taught earlier. He decided to go to sleep soon after though, since the light was beginning to hurt his eyes. After countless laps around the room, Aeron stifled a yawn and Vincent stopped.

"You should go to bed. You are going to have a slight head ache in the morning. And Cloud will be here for me soon anyway." he said, leading her back into the kitchen. She sat in her chair and watched Vincent tidy everything and inspect her food supplies. He frowned at her.

"Did I not tell you to keep enough food in your house for at least a week. You will need to go shopping soon you know. Tomorrow actually." he said. She smiled up at him.

"I will. Don't worry so much Vincent. I had planned to anyway." she replied. She would have gone on, but they heard Cloud's Fenrir pull up outside. She smiled happily and ran to the door, opening it just as Cloud was about to knock. She launched into his arms, hugging him tightly. He laughed and carried her back inside.

"I see you've let her drink again Vincent." he said, grinning at the older man and setting Aeron on her feet. She just smiled sheepishly up at him, yawning again. Vincent patted her on the head and shook his head.

"Do not tell Tifa. I will never hear the end of it." he said. Aeron made a childish pouting face. She had turned twenty-one months ago but they still acted like she was a kid. Cloud smirked at the look and looked into the living room.

"Dancing again I see." he said. His eyes settled on the bed that was pushed against the far wall. Then the flare of bright red hair that was in it. He opened his mouth to say something, but Aeron clapped her hand over his mouth and motioned for them to go outside. Once they were out and the door was closed behind them, she released Cloud.

"What the hell is he doing here Aeron? Vincent?" he hissed, his glare shifting between the two. Aeron sighed.

"Sorry Cloud. He's a friend. Long story short, I found him beaten almost to death and I took him in. I know he's the one who caused Alexander's death, but I can't hold that grudge forever. And he's changed a lot since then." she said, all in one breath. Vincent simply nodded and put his hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"She is right. I will explain later though. Aeron should be getting to bed now before she freezes to death." he said, smiling slightly at her. She smiled back and nodded as her teeth began to chatter. Both men laughed and Vincent wrapped his cape around her shoulders. After making them promise not to mention Reno to anyone, she said good night to them and shivered her way back into the house, Vincent's cape wrapped tightly around her.

She closed and locked the door behind her and checked on Reno before she went to bed. He was asleep, still on his face, with a leg hanging off the bed. She smiled and pulled his leg onto the bed, rolling him onto his back. After pulling a blanket over him, she dragged herself up the stairs and into her room, not even bothering to close the door behind her. She flopped onto the bed and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.


	14. Hangover

**A/N: I do realize that any normal wine would not give this bad of a hangover. But for the sake of the story, it is a very aged wine and much stronger than something not from the Final Fantasy world. Also, I know Mako makes it so one can not get drunk, but Aeron is an exception.**

Chapter 14

Hangover

November 20, 2012

Reno awoke to the worst hangover he'd had in weeks. Everything was too bright, even in the usually quite dark house. His head felt like it was going to explode. He pulled the pillow back over his head and cursed both Vincent and Aeron for letting him drink as much as he did.

"That damn Vincent knew what would happen to me too, yo." he growled into the sheets, now realizing why Vincent had only let Aeron have two glasses and had only had one himself.

Aeron was waking to similar but much weaker affects from the wine last night. She moaned into the pillows and dragged herself out of bed, undressing as she made her way to the bathroom. That Vincent sure knew a good wine when he had one. She got to the shower turned on the cold water, climbing in and sitting under it for almost twenty minutes. Once here head had stopped feeling fuzzy, she turned the water warm again and took a refreshing shower.

Reno, on the other hand, remained in bed, cursing everything he could think of. He groaned when he heard the shower upstairs turn off and Aeron's foot steps coming down stairs.

"Reno? How are you feeling?" she asked softly, knowing he probably had a massive headache. He moaned and pulled more blankets over his head. Had he not loved alcohol so much, the hangovers he got would have probably convinced him to never drink again.

"I'm dyin', yo." he groaned from under the pillow. Aeron's melodious laugh filled the room as she sat beside him on the bed, rubbing his back gently.

"Cloud came by last night. He wasn't very happy that you were here." she said softly, massaging his shoulders. Reno growled.

"Don't worry. They won't tell anyone you're here. They promised." she assured him quietly as she watched the snow fall outside the window. It didn't help his mood, but he couldn't help but relax under her tender touch. He had become quite used to her and allowed her to touch him, though he still got very tense when her hands went lower than his midsection. She avoided doing so, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable.

"I'm going shopping in a bit. Is there anything you want?" she asked. He though for a moment before peeking his face out from under the pillow, thankful her body blocked the light from outside.

"Would you mind getting more of that miso? I liked that stuff, yo." he said. She nodded and brushed a strand of hair out of his face.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"I don't think so. I need some new clothes, but you don't have to get those. I'll get them some other time, yo." he said. She nodded and pulled the blanket over his face before she stood up. She walked to the window and closed the curtains, making the room much darker.

"You can come out now. It's dark enough." she said, walking back to her room to get dressed. Reno peeked out in time to see that she had only been wrapped in a towel. He frowned at that, remembering what would have happened in that same situation less than a month ago. He had recently begun to regret the way he used to act. Sure, he may not be a perfect gentleman, but he had become a much better person in recent days.

Not much later, after Reno had gone back to sleep, Aeron left. She pulled her cloak up around her neck and shivered as she closed the door behind her. Trudging through the snow was one of her least favorite things to do, but she knew Vincent would come back and get on her case about not having enough food in the house. As she walked, she thought about the circumstance she had found herself in.

Reno, a young man she had once despised more than any other, was now living with her. She even seemed to have a certain fondness for him she realized. He was quite charming and attractive, despite his behavior towards Vincent. He'd come to trust her and even tolerated her touch, she noted. Perhaps he had a fondness for her too?


	15. Pictures

Chapter 15

Pictures

Being left alone in the large house, Reno decided to finally look around. He had noticed that Aeron had kindly closed all the curtains in the house for him. Having only seen the living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom, he realized that he still had a lot to explore. He started with the first floor bedrooms. They were all fully furnished, but none of them really suited Reno, in his opinion. Thought they were all quite large, they were extremely plain. Their walls were all the color of cream and the curtains and beds were all white. They each held a single chest of drawers and a set of night stands. It was much like a hotel in Reno's opinion.

Once he'd finished looking into each room, he looked up at the balcony above him. Since that was the whole of the first floor, he ascended the staircase to investigate the top floor.

There were three closed doors before the single open one, which was the farthest from the stairs. The first closed room he came to seemed to be much larger than the ones downstairs and was painted an expressive shade of sky blue. The curtains were light purple with silver moons and golden stars woven into them. There were small stuffed creatures covering the windowsill, which doubled as a bench. The bed matched the curtains in color and design. It looked much like a child's room, Reno noted as he exited and closed the door behind him.

The next closed door he came to was locked. Being a Turk, Reno was quite skilled at picking locks and the door was soon open. This room was much less pleasant than the last. There were diagrams of human and animal anatomy on the walls, sharp dissection instruments spread out on small tables and a large glass tube full of a strange blue-green liquid. On closer inspection, Reno realized what it was.

"What's she doin' with a full Mako container, yo?" he asked the empty room. Making sure not to touch anything, he continued to look around. Where there was a bed in the other room, this room simply had a small cot. There was also two metal slabs, which had restraints on them. They also seemed to be stained with a red tint. A stain that only blood could have left. No longer feeling comfortable in the room, Reno slowly backed out and lock the door behind him. Making a mental note to ask Aeron about it, he continued his self guided tour.

The third closed door was unlocked. There was a large bed against the wall, covered by scarlet blankets that, like every other room, matched the curtains of this room. The walls were painted a deep crimson, contrasting with the curtain's lighter shade of red. The carpet was black and stood out against the walls. There was another bench windowsill, but this one was free of clutter. There was a door in this room which led to a shared bathroom. Like the bathroom downstairs, everything was black marble and dark wood. He liked this room the most and decided to ask Aeron for it when she returned.

Still curious, he wandered to the final and open door. It had to be Aeron's room, but he was too curious not to look. He pushed the door the rest of the way open and stepped in. There was a large canopy bed, the curtains surrounding it being light blue. The blankets were a dark, midnight blue with the same silver moon and golden stars stitched into it as the first room. This room, unlike the rest, had black gauze curtains that let light in, but still kept the room quite dark. The carpet was also black, matching this room to the one beside it. Though, unlike all the other rooms, this room had pictures in it.

Reno walked to the shelf against the wall that held a large collection of frames on it. All the pictures contained Aeron, surrounded by others. The first picture was of Aeron, Cloud and some children form the orphanage. They were all smiling and climbing all over the two older people. Reno chuckled softly as he noticed how alike Cloud and Aeron really were. He moved to the next few pictures, which all had Aeron with various friends of Cloud's. Tifa Lockhart, Barret Wallace, Nanaki, Cait Sith, Cid Highwind, and Yuffie Kisaragi were all there. There was even a group photo of them, in which Aeron was being held up in the air by Vincent Valentine. She looked overjoyed in each picture. He noticed that these had all been taken after the destruction of Sector Seven.

Moving to the next shelf, Reno gasped in shock. In the first photo was a younger Aeron, sitting on the shoulders of none other than the hero, Zack Fair. Cloud was there too, standing next to a taller man with long, braided blonde hair. There were also photos of Aeron holding Zack's Buster Blade and seemingly playing pranks and the young heroes.

"I can't believe she knew Zack Fair, yo." he murmured, moving to the next photo. He got a shock from this one as well. It was another picture of Zack, Cloud, Aeron and the blonde man. But in this one, Aerith Gainsborough stood in the center of the happy group. Reno was amazed that Aeron was so honored to have been friends with all these people, who were all now know as great heroes.

Moving to the end of the shelf, Reno almost fell over. He couldn't believe his eyes. There was a very young Aeron, probably nine or ten, sitting on the shoulders of the greatest enemy Gaia had ever had. Sephiroth. She was just sitting up there, a happy child, pulling on the long silver hair of the grinning psychopath. Shaking his head in wonder, he looked around the room and noticed a small cluster of photos on the table beside her bed. He walked over and inspected them.

The first was taken quite recently and depicted Aeron sitting in Vincent's lap, kissing his cheek. Rolling his eyes, Reno moved to the next photo. This one was of Aeron standing beside Zack Fair, one of his arms around her shoulders, the other holding his Buster Blade above their heads. The third photo was of Zack and Aerith, sitting in the patch of flowers in her church, holding hands and smiling at each other. The fourth and final photo was of Aeron in the arms of the blonde man from the other pictures. He had a long blonde braid slung over his shoulder, which a young Aeron was playing with. She looked so happy in all the pictures he'd seen. He'd never seen her smile like that since he'd met her.

Walking out of the room, he left the door open the way he'd found it. He sat at the top of the stairs and sighed. Suddenly, he made a decision. He would get Aeron to smile like that again, even if it killed him. With that decided, he stood up and walked downstairs for a much needed shower.

**A/N: I just had to add Sephiroth Aerith and Zack. Zack is my all time favorite character, followed closely by Reno and Vincent. And giving Sephiroth a soft side was irresistable. lol**


	16. Remembering

Chapter 16

Remembering

Aeron had always hated crowds, and walking home, so remembered why. There was far too much chaos and unneeded physical contact in crowds. She had just escaped the market and was now quickly walking home, muttering curses under her breath that would have made even Reno's ears burn. At least her 'mission' was a success. She had three large bags full of groceries. Normally, she would have called that overkill, but after seeing how much Reno could and would eat, it probably wasn't enough. She finally came to her door and almost broke it down trying to get in.

"Reno! I'm back!" she called as she entered the kitchen. Once she'd put the bags she was carrying down, she heard the shower across the hall running. Noting that it was Reno, she began to put the food away. Once all the bags were unpacked, she remembered that she'd bought a large carton of strawberries for a snack this afternoon after they lunch. After making sure to hide those behind two milk cartons in the refrigerator, she was finished. Reno was still in the shower and there was almost two hours left until he'd start wondering about lunch, so Aeron decided to go upstairs and sit in Alexander's room, to talk to him.

She hadn't done so since finding Reno and she felt as though she were neglecting her brother in some way. She climbed the stairs and walked into the crimson and scarlet room. She smiled, remembering how much he had loved the color red. He'd worn the color for as long as she could remember. She walked over to the window and opened it a crack, leaving the curtains half closed.

"Hey Alexander. It's been a while. I'm sorry I haven't visited you. I met someone. His name's Reno. Ironically, he's the Turk that killed you." she said, a sad cheer in her voice.

"I didn't really meet him so much as find him. He was all beat up in that ally we used to pass on the way to Aerith's church. I thought he was dead until he moved. I couldn't leave him there. I know you wouldn't have." She climbed onto the bed and pulled one of the pillows against her chest, snuggling into it.

"I really miss you brother. You forgive me for saving him, right? I actually am starting to like him. He's not the monster I thought he was." she whispered against the soft fabric. A light breeze blew through the room and across her face softly, almost as if her brother's spirit was there, comforting her. She smiled as a tear rolled from her eye and soaked into the pillow.

She heard the shower shut off downstairs and the door open and close. Reno was out, finally. He was walking around in the kitchen from what she could tell. She remembered the strawberries.

"Hey, Alexander? Do you remember when I said you looked like a tomato, the way you always wore red? It was when we were having dinner here with Aerith, Cloud, Sephiroth and Zack. Everyone but you started laughing. Milk even came out of Zack's and Sephy's nose, which only made Cloud, Aerith and I laugh harder. You got so embarrassed. You remember how Aerith said you reminded her more of a strawberry than a tomato? Then every time after that, Zack called you nothing but 'Strawberry'. I miss them so much. Are they there, with you, in the Lifestream?" she asked, more tears spilling from her eyes. Soon, the only sounds filling the room her quiet sobs and the wind making the curtains flap softly. She sat there for almost an hour and a half, but he silence was soon broken by a voice from downstairs.

"Aeron? Are you makin' lunch today, or is it my turn, yo?" Aeron sat up and wiped her eyes.

"I'll be right down Reno." she called, sounding a little too much like she was crying than she would have liked. She put the pillow back on the bed and walked to the door.

"Alexander. Zack. Aerith. Sephy. I love and miss you all." she whispered and closed the door. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Reno turned to her and frowned. She tilted her head, wondering what was wrong.

"What's wrong Aeron? Why were you cryin', yo?" he asked quickly, walking closer to her and wiping a few stray tears from her cheek. She inwardly cursed herself before responding.

"It's alright Reno. I was just remembering memories I have with friends of mine who are now in the Lifestream." she said, smiling sadly. He nodded and sat down at the table, pulling out a chair for her.

"Wanna talk about it? There's no better way to honor those who are gone than by rememberin' the good times you shared with them." he said, smiling encouragingly at her. She sat down and wondered where to start.

"Well, I started by thinking about my brother, then it turned to a memory of an amusing dinner we had with some friends. Would you like me to tell you about it?" she asked. Reno nodded. She smiled sadly again and began.


	17. Friends

**A/N 1: Dun kill meh! I had to do something OOC to Sephiroth. I think it's pretty funny.**

Chapter 17

Friends

"It started as a normal dinner party. Well, you probably won't think normal when you hear who was there, but to us, it was. Alexander had cooked a big meal and we were all just sitting down to eat." she looked across the table, picturing the scene.

"I sat there, at the end. Alexander's seat was to my left. Cloud sat to my right. Beside him was Sephiroth. Beside Alexander was Zack Fair. And directly across from me was Aerith." she pointed to each spot, motioning to the seat Reno sat in as Aerith's. She continued.

~*Flashback*~

"_Alexander, why do you always wear so much red? You look like a tomato." a ten year old Aeron asked. Everyone started laughing. Everyone except Alexander._

"_I do not!" he whined, sounding far more childish that he wanted. Zack and Sephiroth had the misfortune to be taking a drink at this exact moment, when their chuckles turned to full blown laughter. Milk squirted first out of Zack's nose, making Sephiroth do the same right after. By now, everyone was gasping for air because they were laughing so hard. Alexander was so embarrassed because he had a crush on Aerith. _

_Soon, everyone was beginning to regain their composure, for the most part. Alexander finished serving dinner and they all settled down to eat. After a few moments of silence, Aerith_ _turned to Alexander._

"_Don't worry Alexander. You don't remind me of a tomato at all. I think you're more like a strawberry, since you're so sweet." she said, causing Alexander to blush furiously. Sephiroth and Zack made sure to stop drinking before they started laughing this time._

"_Thank you Aerith." Alexander said quietly and began to eat once again. Aeron sat on her end of the table and watched her beloved family of friends eat, smiling happily._

~*Flashback Ends*~

"From that day on, Zack called Alexander 'Strawberry' every time they saw each other." she finished, laughing at the memory.

She looked over at Reno, who's mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide. She couldn't help but burst into laughter at that.

"What's that look for Reno?" she asked.

"I don't know where to start, yo. Sephiroth, The Sephiroth, was a friend of yours? He actually knew how to laugh? I can't even begin to believe that he actually squirted milk out of his nose. And you knew Zack Fair and Aerith, yo?" he gushed. Aeron gave him a quizzical look.

"Sephiroth was actually a very nice person before he went insane. He laughed and smiled and was fun to be around. He even taught me most of what I know about swordplay. And yes, I knew Zack Fair and Aerith. They too were good friends of mine. Is that so shocking?" she asked, slight annoyance in her voice. She'd always hated how people would badmouth Sephiroth without even knowing him. If only they knew the Sephiroth she'd known as a child. The one who would give her rides on his shoulders and throw her into the air.

"Sorry Aeron. It's just hard to imagine him like that. I mean, after everythin' he did. Tryin' to destroy the planet and all, yo." he explained. She sighed and nodded.

"I understand. But he wasn't always like that. If not for him finding out about himself, he would have stayed the Sephiroth I knew. He was nice and gentle." she explained. Reno looked down at the table and sighed.

"I saw that picture of you. With you on his shoulders. I was shocked, I have to admit. How'd you manage to meet all of them?" he asked.

"Finally went exploring I see." she said, smirking at his guilty expression. He nodded.

"I met Aerith when I was eight, because I used to use the church for hide and seek when Alexander would play with me. She always hid me and told him she hadn't seen me."

"What about Sephiroth, yo?" he asked.

"I met Zack and Sephiroth when I was eight as well. It was one of the times I was hiding and Alex found me. We were in Aerith's church." she began.

**A/N 2: I'm currently working on Chapter 34 of this story, so have no fear of me suddenly stopping my posts. I had already taken a few weeks off of this story due to it being the last week of school and the story was beginning to bore me. But I came back to it, ripped out an entire half of Chapter 33 and started on an entirely different polt twist. I think any fans of Dirge of Cerberus and/or Crisis Core will be happy with a few of the new characters I've added. ^^**

**Also, thank you so much to everyone who's given me reviews. Knowing my story has fans is what keeps me writing for hours upon hours. I look forward to all the new reviews! **


	18. Memories

Chapter 18

Memories

~*Flashback*~

_Aeron and Alexander were sitting on the floor, looking at the flowers, chatting quietly about what was for dinner when they walked in. Two men dressed in SOLDIER uniforms. Alexander immediately recognized Sephiroth, and stood to hide Aeron behind him. As they walked closer, Aerith suddenly noticed they were there and ran up and hugged the other, dark haired man. _

"_Zack! I didn't know you were coming. I thought you were out on a mission." she said as the tall, dark haired man hugged her back. He smiled._

"_Nope. We're on a break between missions. I thought I'd bring Sephiroth with me to see you this time." he explained. Sephiroth's eyes were wandering over the church when they settled on Alexander. He nudged Zack's arm and nodded toward Alexander. When Zack shrugged, Aerith tuned and looked where the two men were. She saw Alexander, hiding Aeron behind him._

"_Alexander. Aeron. Come here. I want you to meet my friends, Zack and Sephiroth." she called. Aeron ran out from behind him and over to Aerith before Alexander could stop her. Zack kneeled in front of her and offered her his hand._

"_Hey there. I'm SOLDIER, Second Class, Zack Fair. This is SOLDIER, First Class, Sephiroth." he explained. Aeron looked at them in awe and shook his hand. Aerith __giggled._

"_Really Zack? Is that how you introduce yourself to everyone?" she asked, kneeling with them._

"_Aeron, just call him Zack. The same goes for Sephiroth. Just because they're in SOLDIER, doesn't mean they're gods, even if they think so." she said, looking up at Sephiroth and smiling. He returned her smile. Alexander walked up and rested his hand on Aeron's head._

"_This is my little sister, Aeron. I'm Alexander." he said, offering Zack his hand. Zack stood up and shook it._

"_It's nice to meet you." he replied. Sephiroth nodded his head, earning Aeron's attention. _

"_Hello Sephiroth." she said timidly, taking a step closer to him. At this, he kneeled and offered her his hand. She shook it and stared up at him. He tilted his head._

"_Something wrong little one?" he asked. She shook her head._

"_No it just… I've never seen anyone withhair like yours. It's so pretty." she said. Zack laughed._

"_You hear that Sephiroth? She thinks you're pretty." he said, greatly amused. _

"_See Aeron. I told you people from SLODIER weren't scary." Aerith said as Sephiroth stood up to smack the back of Zack's head. _

"_I wouldn't say we're not scary. I think I'm rather frightening to those who find themselves on the end of Masamune." he chuckled. _

~*Flashback Ends*~

Aeron smiled as she became lost in the memory. She'd missed them so much and it made her happy to think about times like that, before everything went wrong.

"I soon became very fond of Sephiroth and started calling him 'Sephy'. I remember when Zack asked me for a nick name. I sat and though for a moment. After looking at his hair I told him he would be called 'Porcupine Head' because of all the spikes. Sephy thought it was quite funny." she said, coming back to reality. Reno stared at her in amazement. He'd never suspected that Sephiroth was so human.

"So, you wanted lunch?" she asked, getting up and starting heating a pot of soup on the stove. Reno just nodded and continued his thoughts about her past.


	19. Nightmares

**!Almost Totally ****Unnecessary Disclaimer! **

**I've been playing Final Fantasy: Dirge of Cerberus again after a long while and it's come to my attention that in one of the cut scenes, there is a female WRO operative accompanying Vincent Valentine during the infiltration of Deepground who says that she and her brother used to play in Sector Seven as children before it collapsed. She also said that he died when the plate fell. Her brother was one of the two male AVALANCHE operatives that died, being either Biggs or Wedge. - ****My character, Aeron, is in no way based on or related to this character. I had actually forgotten all about her until today. **

Chapter 19

Nightmares

December 6, 2012

Almost a month had past since Aeron had found Reno. It was the beginning of December and it was still getting colder in Midgar. By now, Reno had moved into Alexander's old room. When he'd asked for it, Aeron almost said no, but got the sudden feeling that it was a good idea.

That's when she realized that, late at night when he thought she was asleep, he would cry softly for hours until he fell asleep, tormented with his past or more recent events. She could hear his quiet sobs through the wall because of her Mako enhanced senses, even though he was trying to hide them. He, in turn, realized that she had nightmares almost every night. She would cry out for Alexander or Vincent to help her. She wasn't very loud, but he heard every word she said. Sometimes it would be a nightmare about being experimented on. Or it would be about Sephiroth or Zack's death. The ones that bothered him the most though, were the nights she would dream about the Sector Seven incident.

She would call for Alexander. Then she would realize that he was dead and she would start crying out for him to come back. Then she would wake up and sob uncontrollably for hours, while Reno sat in his room with his head against the wall, listening to her and blaming himself for her sadness. But in the morning, once the sun had risen, he would walk downstairs to find her smiling and cooking breakfast for them.

Some nights though, Aeron would have one of her worst nightmares. In these, she always found Alexander's body, mangled and destroyed amongst the rubble. He would look up at her and ask her why she didn't save him. Sometimes he would even ask why she was living with his murderer.

On this particular night, Reno was once again sitting against the wall, listening to her tortured cries. He held his head in his hands as she begged Alexander to come back. He felt so guilty, knowing that he'd been the cause of her nightmares, and yet she was letting him live with her. She was calling out to her dead brother, as she usually did. Then she went silent. Reno thought she'd woken up, but then he heard her voice.

"I'm sorry Alexander. I'm sorry! I know he killed you. Please forgive me Alexander." she sobbed. Reno felt his stomach flip and he curled up on himself. She was talking about him. Tears formed in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry Aeron. I'm so sorry." he repeated over and over. She began to cry again and this time, he knew she'd woken up. He heard her get out of bed and walk to the hall, thinking she was just going downstairs for a glass of water or something. He covered his ears, but he still couldn't get her cries out of his head.

With his ears covered and his eyes closed, he didn't notice that Aeron had walked into his room. She was still crying when she saw him huddled up on the bed. He didn't notice her until she threw her arms around him. He jumped and looked up quickly, realizing who it was.

"Aeron?" he asked softly. She climbed onto the bed beside him, never letting him out of her grip.

"Can I sleep with you Reno? I can't sleep alone anymore tonight." she asked quietly, burying her face in his neck. He could feel her tears dripping onto his skin and down his bare chest. He unwrapped his arms from around his knees and straightened his legs, pulling her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"You can stay. I won't go anywhere. I promise, yo." he said. Her body was shaking with sobs as she wrapped her arms around his chest tighter. Reno wanted so badly to comfort her and take her pain away. When had he ever cared so much about someone he wondered. But how could he comfort her, knowing he was the one who caused so much of her pain? He rubbed circles on her back and made soft cooing noises until she calmed down. Her death grip on him loosened and she began to relax, still leaning against him. Her breathing slowed and evened out, her soft breaths ghosting across his skin. Knowing she'd fallen asleep, Reno slowly turned on his side and pulled the blankets over them, never letting Aeron go.

That night, Reno and Aeron both slept better than they had in years. Unhindered by nightmares, they rested peacefully in each other's warm embrace.

**A/N: For everyone who's wondering why Reno's being OOC and crying in his sleep, I promise it will be fully explained in far future chapters... (Like around Chapter 37 or so... ^^" Don't kill me...) In the first few chapters his issue was hinted at when Aeron was cleaning him up. I just haven't been in the right zone to write his 'tortured confession', but I'm getting to it. **

**I promise on my soul and as a FanFiction writer/reader/lover that you will find out!**


	20. Invitation

Chapter 20

December 20, 2012

"Reno, you have got to get out of this house." Aeron sighed as Reno shoveled down his breakfast. He almost choked when she said that.

"What?" he asked, a hurt tone in his voice. Was she kicking him out?

"It's been almost two months since you've gone outside. You're starting to look as pale as Vincent. You need to get out in the sun and breath in some fresh air for once." she explained, taking a bite of her own breakfast. Reno sighed in a mixture of relief and annoyance.

"Oh. But why? There's no where I want to go." he replied.

"Actually, there is. I want you to go somewhere with me tonight."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise party at Seventh Heaven for Yuffie, since she just came to visit from Wutai. A late birthday party I guess. We were invited." she explained. In reality, she'd almost had to beg Cloud to let her bring Reno, but when Tifa and Vincent said it was a good idea, he couldn't turn her down.

"They invited _me_?" he asked in disbelief. Cloud had always made it well known about his dislike for Reno and the rest of the Turks. Aeron nodded.

"Yes. So now you have to go. Besides, if you don't, you'll miss the free bar." she said.

"Free bar?"

"You'll see. Well, if you decide to go that is." she said, getting up and putting her plate in the sink.

"It's your turn to do the dishes. I'm going to go take a nice long bath." With that, she slipped out of the kitchen and down the hall, leaving Reno to think about the party alone.

What Aeron walked into wasn't so much a bathroom as it was a spa. The bathtub was actually a Jacuzzi the previous owners had installed. It could easily fit four people, but Aeron preferred to soak for hours alone. In winter when she was little, Alexander would dress them both up in swimwear and pretend it was summer and that they were cooling off in the hot swirling water.

She pulled the cover off of it and turned it on, making sure the jets were all on their highest setting. While it heated up, she undressed and brushed out her long hair that Alexander had always adored. She'd never cut it, so it was almost as long now as his had been. It would have even rivaled Sephiroth's silver mane. She pulled it back and braided it, as she'd done so many times to her brother's, Sephiroth's and even Vincent's, leaving it untied at the end.

When the water was finally steaming and frothing wildly, she hopped up on the edge and put her legs in. It felt so wonderful as she lowered the rest of herself in until her body was submerged to her shoulders. Then she noticed that she had left the lights on.

"Reno." she called. A moment later, he popped his head through the door.

"What's up, yo?"

"Could you turn the lights off for me? I seem to have forgotten." she said, smiling sweetly. What he reached for the switch, she turned around and stood up to close the curtain of the window above her. Reno, having either the best or the worst luck, looked up just in time to see her.

Steam rose from the water and her body as water cascaded over her rosy skin. Goose bumps rose as the cool air collided with her heated flesh. Most of her braid had come unwoven in the water and her hair was now splayed across her lower back. Letting his eyes roam momentarily over her body, Reno saw that her skin was covered in thin pink scars ranging from her shoulders to her hips. He quickly looked away and slipped out of the bathroom before she turned around.

**A/N: You may have noticed by now that the chapters a devided into days between time skips. So far there are 6 days if you count this one. This 'day' is the longest, being 10 chapters long. Now, for the reason I said that... I am debating on whether I should just write up until Aeron and Reno finally officially hook up, or if I should write their entire year together in the same way I've been doing it. Ending on the one year ****anniversary of them first meeting. Feed back would be much appriciated!**


	21. Thoughts

Chapter 21

Thoughts

Reno quickly closed the door and leaned against it. He could feel the heat on his face that was surely turning into a deep blush. That image of her body dripping with water wouldn't leave his mind. It was on instant replay. He bit his lip as he felt heat traveling to his groin. It had been a while since he... No! He didn't want to think about her like that, but he couldn't help it. She was beautiful. He forced himself away from the door and up to his room.

Once here, he threw himself onto the bed and cursed himself. How could he think of her like that? He'd already ruined her life once. She was far too good and innocent for him. He couldn't allow himself to ruin her life more.

"You're such a fool, yo." he growled at himself, burying his face in a pillow.

While Reno cursed himself in his room, Aeron floated carelessly on her back in the bubbling water. She found herself thinking about Reno. He'd lived with her for almost two months. By now, they had developed a routine in all things. They shared the dishes and cleaning, cooked for each other and got along wonderfully. She enjoyed his company far more than she'd predicted she would. She had realized that they found interest in many of the same things, ranging from reading to cooking.

They had also come to an unspoken agreement on sleeping arrangements. They were both tormented by nightmares when they were alone, but when they were together, they both felt safe. She'd woken up multiple times to find herself snuggled into Reno's chest with her arms wrapped around his waist. And likewise, she awoken to Reno holding her tightly, as if she were going to disappear if he let go. They never mentioned any of this to each other though. She simply didn't want him to get uncomfortable with it and make her stay in her own bed. She couldn't guess why Reno didn't mention it though.

After a few minutes of self loathing, Reno relaxed and breathed in the scent of the pillow he'd been using to smother himself with. It smelled of flowers; of Aeron. He sighed in contempt for himself and nuzzled the pillow, taking in the scent he'd come to love. This realization made him suddenly evaluate his feelings toward Aeron. He knew he didn't love her, but this feeling he had for her wasn't lust either. It was very confusing and that was not a feeling he enjoyed. His thoughts were broken by the very person they were about.

"Reno. Can you get the door? I'm naked." she called, causing him to suddenly get that image in his head. He hopped up and left his room. He slid down the banister, a habit Aeron had accidentally caused him to develop, and trotted to the door. Seeing the distorted crimson form on the other side of the frosted glass window beside the door, he knew immediately who the visitor was. He unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"Good afternoon Valentine." he said, not unkindly. Vincent simply nodded and stepped up into the doorway. When he did, Reno saw that Cloud had been standing behind him.

"Hey there Spiky. You comin' in, yo?" he asked. Cloud simply nodded and followed Vincent. Reno rolled his eyes and closed the door behind the blonde.

"Aeron's was taking a bath, so she might take a bit to come out." he explained as they walked into the living room. Vincent looked down the hall and smirked. There was a trail of water coming from the bathroom and up the stairs. Aeron had apparently forgotten a towel and dashed up the stairs when Reno let them in. The three men stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity to Reno. Cloud glared at him while Vincent simply ignored them both and leaned against the wall.

"Can I get you anything, yo?" he asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Both Vincent and Cloud shook their heads, seemingly refusing to humor his attempt at being polite. Annoyed, he walked into the kitchen and waited for Aeron to reappear.

**A/N: Wow! I feel like I haven't posted in forever, while I think it's only been about a week. I've been super busy. My sister's boyfriend of 11 months just dumped her, so I've been comforting her (which includes baking a ton of sweets, letting her basically order me around and be her servant, cleaning up her room cuz gods know that she'd never do it and making her leave that bat cave of a room she's got...)**

**Then I've been working on this Lugia plushie for her to carry around with her cosplay for the upcoming convention we're attending (Orlando Anime Day) which is a pain in the ass cuz of those stupid little tail spikes and the things on its back.**

**Plus I've been working my ass off to get enough money to have a friend of mine make a Yusei cosplay for me (Yes, I freaking love Yu-Gi-Oh) and that's taking way longer than expected. But I have managed to finish the deck boxes which look awesome for being hand stitched and hot glued together. **


	22. Crash

Chapter 22

Crash

Having slipped on the polished wood on her dash up the stairs, Aeron limped slightly as she made her way back down them, being careful not to step in the puddles she'd left. There would probably be a bruise, but with almost pure Mako running through her veins, it would quickly disappear. As she came to the ground floor, she saw Reno sitting at the kitchen table, looking very annoyed.

"Who was it?" she asked, putting her hand on his shoulder. She knew who was there, but she didn't want him making such an unhappy face. Before he could answer though, Vincent and Cloud walked into the kitchen. She smiled at first, until she saw that Cloud hadn't taken his sword off of his back.

"Cloud. I must have told you a thousand times. Please disarm before coming into my house. There's no threat here." she said. Putting emphasis on her statement, she stepped behind Reno and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Well, we weren't staying for any length of time. There wasn't any point." Cloud replied.

"Yes. We were coming to ask you if you would like to help Tifa set up the decorations Yuffie's party. It will not start for another few hours, but quite a few people have already arrived." Vincent explained.

"So, in other words, you didn't want to be around the crowd and used me as an excuse to escape Tifa's decorating jobs." Aeron said laughingly. Both men looked at the floor, having been caught. Cloud was the first to look up at Aeron. He scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

"So, you still wanna come?"

"Of course I do. I love driving Tifa crazy." she replied cheerily. "Let me get changed and I'll be ready." Then she looked at Reno, the question obvious in her eyes.

"I'll get ready as soon as you let me go, yo." he said, a smile gracing his features. Aeron returned the smile and turned to leave the kitchen. Reno got up and followed her. Both men watched as they ascended the stairs, making sure they went into their rooms before they started talking. The bedroom doors closed one after the other and Cloud turned his gaze to Vincent.

"I don't trust him. He's still Reno, no matter what may have happened." he growled to the older man. Vincent chuckled quietly.

"Well I do not think it matters if you trust him or not. Aeron has taken a distinct liking to that man. And you know how hard it is to change her mind about something." he replied. Cloud scoffed but didn't argue. He knew Vincent was right. Aeron had a good taste when it came to people, but Cloud still couldn't bring himself to trust her judgment on this.

Sure, Reno had helped them when the Remnants were wreaking havoc on Midgar, but he was under orders to do so and he hadn't wanted to die. Cloud had still never forgiven the Turks for handing he and Zack over to Hojo to experiment on or for the Sector Seven disaster. They still had a lot to pay for. They had done things that, in Cloud's mind, could never be forgiven. His brooding was cut short by the sound of shoes pounding down the stairs and a loud crash, followed by a stream of curses.

It was Reno and Aeron, racing to see who could get down faster. Aeron on the banister or Reno on foot. Aeron had won of course, though she'd been going so fast, she couldn't stop. Reno had jumped to grab her before she fell, but in doing so, he'd caused them both to go over the railing at the foot of the stairs. When Cloud and Vincent ran into the hall they were greeted by the sight of Aeron sprawled across Reno, who was cursing offensively while the small blonde tried to get off of him.


	23. Security

Chapter 23

Security

Cloud, seeing that Aeron had blood on her face, jumped into action and hauled her off of the redhead and dragged her into the kitchen. Vincent, on the other hand, walked to Reno and offered him his hand. They heard Aeron yelling at Cloud from the kitchen and went to watch.

"Damn it Cloud, I'm fine! It's not _my _blood. Stop jumping to conclusions!" she was saying as Reno walked in, holding his bleeding hand. Aeron, done reaming Could, walked over to him and took his hurt hand. His palm had been torn open when he jumped over the banister.

"I'm sorry Reno. I should be more careful." she said, leading him past a very discontented Cloud and to the sink. He whined as she ran warm water over the sensitive flesh, cleaning it thoroughly with soap. He stood with his hand over the sink, dripping blood, as she went to retrieve a bandage from the bathroom across the hall.

Once he was tended to, Aeron leaned against the counter momentarily and sighed heavily. Looking from an amused looking Vincent to a dejected looking Cloud, she soon straightened up and grabbed her coat from the rack on the wall.

"So, are we going or what?" she asked, back to the cheerful Aeron that Cloud preferred. They followed her lead and walked toward the door. Reno grabbed one of the black, hooded cloaks off the coat rack and walked out into the frigid air. He shivered and wrapped the thick fabric around him tighter. Aeron hated the cold, but she wasn't cold enough to do that. She looked at him questioningly for a moment, but dismissed it as they began walking toward Seventh Heaven.

After about fifteen minutes of conversation with Vincent and Cloud, Aeron began to notice that Reno was acting peculiarly. He was hanging back slightly from their small group and looking behind him nervously. Slowing slightly, she fell into step with him.

"What's wrong Reno?" she asked quietly, trying not to draw the other's attention. He motioned for her to look behind them.

"That guy who's followin' us, yo. He's one of the one's who…" he trailed off as a look of fear crossed his face. Aeron wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled him closer, quickening her pace to catch up with the others.

"Don't worry Reno. You're safe with us." she murmured to the nervous red head before getting Vincent's attention.

"We're being followed." she said quietly. Both men looked behind them discreetly, then looked at Reno and Aeron. Though they didn't understand why, they could see that Reno was scared, and that Aeron was concerned for him. Cloud looked at Vincent and nodded. The older man nodded back and they slowed their pace. Reno was shaking slightly, though he hoped Aeron would pass in off as him being cold. She tightened her grip around his waist took his hand in hers. She'd seen right through him.

"It's alright. I told you, you're safe with me. Relax." she whispered, squeezing his hand gently. Then they heard a sudden muffled cry behind them. Reno whirled around, expecting the worst, while Aeron let out a bark of laughter. He looked at the empty street behind him, then to Aeron. A moment later, Vincent came out of an alley beside them, a look of disgust on his face.

"Such a deplorable excuse for a human." he muttered as he walk up to them.

"What happened, yo?" Reno asked.

"We jumped him and dragged him into the alley. Cloud recognized him from a wanted poster, so he is taking him to the authorities now. Cloud will meet us at Seventh Heaven. That filth was a child molester... Among other things." Vincent explained, utter disgust in his voice. At that, Reno relaxed slightly, but Aeron kept her grip on him. For some reason, she didn't want to let him go. He didn't object and they continued to their destination unhindered.

**A/N: I know. I know. **_"When are we gonna find out what happened to him?"_** Well, you'll probably find out in Chapter 37 - Act III. And yes, I've already written that much... I really have no life. **


	24. Decorating

Chapter 24

Decorating

Tifa was standing on top of a swiveling barstool, trying to hang one side of the 'Happy Birthday' banner when they walked in. The bell on the door startled her, causing her to lose her balance and topple off. Seeing this, Vincent rushed forward and caught her just in time.

"I was wondering where you ran off to." she said as Vincent put her on her feet.

"You are welcome Tifa." he said, standing aside so her attention would go to anyone else but him. He'd left to avoid helping with the decorations, but even with the brief delays they'd had, the woman was still decorating. It's not that he didn't want to help, but she was such a perfectionist that it was infuriating to be around her on such an occasion. And Vincent was a very hard person to infuriate.

Looking past the tall, raven haired man in red, Tifa saw that Aeron was attached to Reno. She was smiling and chatting away with the red haired man, laughing occasionally at something he said.

"I'm so glad you made it Aeron. I wasn't sure you would, with the weather we're having this year. I know how you hate the cold." Tifa said, walking over to them and taking both Reno and Aeron's hand. She dragged them to the bar where a pile of decorations waited.

"Ok, you remember how we did this last year, right?" she asked Aeron who nodded.

"Well, then what are you standing around for? Let's get started." she exclaimed happily. Hearing this, Vincent quietly slipped through a door at the other end of the bar, no doubt seeking refuge in Tifa's impressive library on the second floor. Aeron, on the other hand, was all too happy to help out. She quickly set to work putting the 'Happy Birthday' banner up. She stood on the bar while Reno stood beside, waiting to catch her if she fell.

Once that was done, they were challenged with the task of hanging streamers from the ceiling. Even standing on the tables, Aeron was too short to reach the ceiling. Reno had the same problem.

"Damn Tifa. Why'd you have to make the ceiling so damn high, yo?" Reno grumbled as he climbed off of the table. She didn't hear him, as she was probably asking herself the same question. Then Aeron had an idea. Cupping her hands, she motioned for Reno to step into them.

"What? I can't. I'm too heavy, yo." he said. Aeron rolled her eyes.

"Reno, I can pick Fenrir's front end three feet off the ground with the children on it. I think I can handle you. I'm Mako enhanced, remember?" she said, tapping her cheek to emphasize the distinct glow her eyes had to them. They were extra bright due to the gloom of the bar. Reno sighed as Aeron cupper her hands once again. This time he stepped into them and found himself being lifted easily within reach of the ceiling. After that discovery, the bar was soon decorated to Tifa's approval.

Aeron and Reno sat down at the bar as customers began to leave. Seventh Heaven was closing early for the party, much to the chagrin of the usual customers. Once the last person had left, Reno and Aeron were in an animated conversation about music. It was just getting dark outside when people started coming down from the second floor. The first being Cait Sith riding on Nanaki's back. Aeron jumped out of her seat and threw her arms around the huge wolf-like creature.


	25. Greetings

Chapter 25

Greetings

"Nanaki! I've missed you so much!" she squealed, nuzzling the soft red fur of his neck.

"What about me, lassie?" Cait Sith asked in his strange accent. She smiled and hugged him too.

"Of course I missed you. What do you guys think of the decorations?" she asked. They looked around and nodded with approval.

"They're great Aeron. Even better than you did last year." Nanaki replied. She smiled and remembered Reno.

"Reno helped me this time though. Have you met him yet?" she asked. When they both shook their heads, she led them over to Reno, who was watching curiously. He'd seen Nanaki before but had never seen him up close. Now that he did, he saw that his eye remained closed because it had been injured and had a large scar over it. His fur was a rusty red color with dark tattoo like markings on his shoulder and hip. The most distinguishing feature Nanaki had though, was the ball of flame on the end of his tail. He was truly a fierce looking creature.

"Hello Reno. It's nice to meet you." he said. Reno looked a bit nervous for a moment before Aeron intervened.

"It's okay Reno. Just say hello. He won't bite." she said, kneeling beside him and scratching behind his ear.

"Sorry. Hi Nanaki. Nice to finally meet you too." he replied. He reached out tentatively to pet him when Aeron motioned for him to. Nanaki sniffed his hand and lowered his head, granting Reno permission. He was surprised by how soft his fur actually was.

After a few moments of small talk, they heard the sound of children running down the stairs. Marlene and Denzel ran into the room and jumped on Aeron, who caught them easily. After they had said their hellos, their attention turned to Nanaki and Cait Sith, who were all too happy to entertain them. Reno and Aeron watched the little group as they ran around the big room, playing happily.

"They're cute, huh?" said a familiarly gruff voice behind them. Aeron knew immediately who it was and whirled around to throw her arms around the pilot.

"Cid! I thought you couldn't make it." she said as he hugged her back.

"It's a lot easier to get the pilot to fly through dangerous weather when you are the pilot. And besides, I couldn't miss this party. What is she now? Twenty-two?" he asked. Aeron nodded and Reno noted that the young ninja was the same age as him.

"The others will be coming down soon. I have to pick up the birthday girl." he said, walking out the door, nearly tripping over the children as they played. As he walked out, Cloud came in. His hair had a light dusting of snow which Aeron promptly dusted off of him the moment he got within reach.

"It's starting to snow again. I hope we don't get snowed in. There are way too many people here to deal with." he grumbled. Even though he was from a cold climate and he was Mako enhanced, the cold bother him greatly. He hated it as much as Aeron.

"Go take a hot shower. Cid just left to get Yuffie, you've got a while." Aeron said, pushing Cloud towards the stairs. He smiled tiredly and disappeared through the door, only to quickly be replaced with Reeve and Vincent, both of them looking quite harassed. Their expressions were quickly explained when a loud, rather obnoxious voice was heard.

"Hi Barret!" Aeron called. It could only be him, since no one else could make the two more docile men appear so irritated. They immediately walked into one of the smaller booths in the bar, hoping to escape the loud man.

"Hello Aeron." Reeve said quickly before disappearing behind the wall with Vincent. She hadn't expected a cheerful welcome from him. It wasn't that he disliked her or anything. He just wasn't the kind for hugs and cheerful greetings. Barret came through the door, following them, and immediately launched into a conversation with Aeron. The same one, she suspected, that had sent Reeve and Vincent running. But unlike them, she liked Barret's wild (and usually quite exaggerated) stories and sat quietly as he talked.


	26. Surprise

Chapter 26

Surprise

Reno watched with curiosity as Aeron greeted each of her friends. He'd never had friends that he would act so familiarly with. There was Rude of course, but even they weren't friends by choice. He briefly wondered if anyone from ShinRa knew that he was alive, but dismissed the idea, since no one had come to retrieve him. Suddenly, he was pulled from his thoughts by Aeron, who was dragging him towards the other end of the bar.

"What's going on?" he wondered aloud.

"Come on. They're almost here. We have to hide so we can jump out and yell 'Surprise' when she comes in." she explained, pulling him down beside her so they were crouching behind the bar. The lights were turned off and others quickly followed suit, Tifa and Cloud coming down the stairs at the last minute. There was a few moments of silence until they heard voices outside.

"Cid! What does Tifa want?" That was Yuffie, sounding perplexed.

"I said you'll see, now stop yellin' at me!" Cid replied, pushing the door open for the young ninja. She looked around, but before she could process the scene, the lights flash on and everyone jumped up from behind the bar.

"SURPRISE!" they all yelled in unison. A huge grin broke Yuffie's face as everyone came forward to greet her.

"Happy belated birthday Yuffie." Vincent said, patting her on the head. Everyone else said their happy birthdays and the party started. Tifa was behind the bar, serving drinks as Cloud played DJ, since that meant he didn't have to mingle.

"Hey! Why don't we do karaoke?" Yuffie suggested, looking expectantly at Vincent, who was leaning against the stage. He shook his head.

"You know I do not sing." he said simply, taking a sip of wine. Aeron walked over to him and pulled him onto stage playfully.

"You may not sing, but you play piano wonderfully and every song needs some piano to it." she insisted, pushing Vincent behind the piano.

"Yuffie! Who sings first? And what song?" she called to the ninja, who ran over to join them on stage. Reno was still watching Aeron as Yuffie's eyes scanned the room and settled on him. A mischievous smirk crossed her lips.

"I have a wonderful idea!" she announced, wrapping an arm around Aeron's shoulders.

"I say we have Reno and Aeron sing together, like a duet." Reno snapped back to reality and shook his head vigorously.

"That's a great idea!" Tifa said, having already joined Yuffie's cause to get Aeron together with someone.

"Traitor." Aeron muttered half-heartedly. In all honesty, she didn't mind being on stage or singing. It was the soft fluttering she was feeling in her stomach suddenly that was making her nervous.

"I'm a terrible singer, yo. You should choose someone else." Reno looked pleadingly at Aeron.

"We won't get out of it. And I've heard you sing in the shower. You'll do fine." she said, waving him onto the stage.

"Why can't Cloud sing then, yo?" he asked, thinking of anything he could to get out of it. He'd never like singing in front of people, even if people said he had a wonderful voice.

"Oh, come on Reno. It's not like you've never made a fool out of yourself in public before. What's one little song going to do?" Cloud asked from behind the bar, obviously the mocking the redhead. He wanted to see Reno do something stupid and possibly embarrassing. Yuffie leaned over and whispered something into Aeron's ear, causing the blonde blush and look shocked.

"But Yuffie, that's a love song. He probably won't even know it. And besides, it's not appropriate for us." she hissed, causing Yuffie to roll her eyes.

"So what. You guys look totally cute together. And he hasn't taken his eyes off of you since I got here." she replied, thankfully being quieter that usual.

"Stop being so modest and live a little. You guys should get up and have some fun." she said as Reno joined them on stage.

"So, what'll it be maestro?" he asked Yuffie. She turned to the rest of the room and announced her song selection.

"They shall sing 'All I Ask Of You' from Phantom of the Opera. Sound good?" Reno's stomach flipped as everyone in the room agreed to the idea.

"Do you know the song?" Aeron asked quietly, noticing the worried look on his face. He nodded.

"I know it. I own Phantom of the Opera, but why do we have to sing it?" he asked.

"Because Yuffie said to. You'll survive." she assured him, patting his arm. He rolled his eyes.

"Are we going to have to do this often tonight?"

"I doubt it. Do this and I promise you'll get to raid the bar afterwards, ok." He sighed, but agreed. Free drinks were always good motivation in his book.

**A/N: Yes, Reno owns Phantom of the Opera. All men should. Though I say Christine should have stayed with the Phantom. He's much sexier.**


	27. Duet

Chapter 27

Duet

Vincent remained at the piano as Yuffie settled herself directly in front of Aeron. Positioning himself front stage, Reno stepped up beside Aeron, who handed him the lead microphone, smiling encouragingly. Tifa walked onto the stage and picked up a violin, resting the bow on the strings. She and Vincent began playing in unison as Reno began to sing.

_No more talk of darkness,_

_Forget these wide-eyed fears._

_I'm here, nothing can harm you._

_My words will warm and calm you._

_Let me be your freedom,_

_Let daylight dry your tears._

_I'm here with you, beside you,_

_To guard you and to guide you._

He turned to Aeron as she began. Her voice rang out over the music and stunned Reno. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard. She was slightly blushing, but the words were flawless and almost angelic.

_Say you love me every waking moment,_

_Turn my head with talk of summertime._

_Say you need me with you now and always._

_Promise me that all you say is true._

_That's all I ask of you._

Reno picked up as she finished her lines, looking into her eyes.

_Let me be your shelter,_

_Let me be your light._

_You're safe, no one will find you._

_Your fears are far behind you._

Aeron began, once again leaving Reno in awe. He stared into the endless Mako blue.

_All I want is freedom,_

_A world with no more night._

_And you, always beside me, _

_To hold me and to hide me._

He could almost see the truth of the words in her eyes, surprising him as he once again took over. His voice became louder as he found himself growing more confident.

_Then say you'll share with me,_

_One love, one lifetime._

_Let me lead you from your solitude._

_Say you need me with you here, beside you._

_Anywhere you go, let me go too._

_Aeron, that's all I ask of you._

Aeron's gaze broke with his and she looked down as she sang the next lines, the slightest bit of shyness in her voice. For some reason, her heart had skipped when he'd said her name._Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime._

_Say the word and I will follow you._

They sang in unison.

_Share each day with me,_

_Each night, each morning._

Aeron began, as Reno held his hand out to her.

_Say you love me._

She took his hand and looked back into his eyes as he intertwined their fingers, replying.

_You know I do._

She smiled, without really knowing why the action had made her happy and sang the final lines with Reno.

_Love me. That's all I ask of you._

_Anywhere you go, let me go too._

_Love me. That's all I ask of you._

They finished, the final line in a half whisper Everyone clapped and Yuffie threw a random handful of confetti at them. Even Cloud applauded. Aeron stared at Reno, blushing slightly. He let her hand go and bowed comically for their crowd, hopping off of the stage. Once he'd helped Aeron down, Cloud was pushed to the front to sing. He sighed and picked up the microphone.

"Sing a sad song!" Yuffie called. Cloud's voice was the most beautiful with a sad note to it. It was like he was singing a requiem, no matter the song. She'd once said he could turn even the happiest song into something depressing. He sighed and though of the perfect one.

"This one's for you Zack." he said quietly, but everyone heard it. The sadness was more than clear in his voice.

**A/N: Yes, I'm making them sing. Cloud too, but mainly because I adore Zack Fair. He's my all time favorite charater. And I really wanted to put in a tribute to him. **

**And I was in a Phantom of the Opera mood the day I wrote this. It's supposed to be one of those "OMG, I think I love her/him!" chapters. I think I went through at least 4 songs berofe choosing this one.**


	28. Tribute

Chapter 28

Tribute

Everyone went dead silent when he said that, giving Zack the moment of silent respect he deserved. Cloud took a beep breath and began. His voice was soft and sad as the words flowed softly from his lips.

_White walls surround us_

_No light will touch your face again_

_Rain taps the window_

_As we sleep among the dead_

_Days go on forever_

_But I have not left your side_

_We can chase the dark together_

_If you go then so will I_

_There is nothing left of you_

_I can see it in your eyes_

_Sing the anthem of the angels_

_And say the last goodbye_

Tears formed in Cloud's eyes as he sang, remembering the best friend he'd lost. Pain was clear on his face as he continued to sing. Tifa smiled sadly, remembering how broken Cloud had been after Zack's death. The volume of his voce rose with each verse.

_Cold light above us_

_Hope fills the heart_

_And fades away_

_Skin white as winter_

_As the sky returns to grey_

_Days go on forever_

_But I have not left your side_

_We can chase the dark together_

_If you go then so will I_

_There is nothing left of you_

_I can see it in your eyes_

_Sing the anthem of the angels_

_And say the last goodbye_

The tears that had formed in his eyes spilled over, but he made no effort to wipe them away. Reno looked over at Aeron, who he found was also crying. He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed softly, letting her know he was there for her.

_I keep holding onto you_

_But I can't bring you back to life_

_Sing the anthem of the angels_

_Then say the last goodbye_

_You're dead alive _

_You're dead alive _

_You're dead alive _

_You're dead alive _

Tifa set out shot glasses and poured her best bourbon, remembering that it was Zack's favorite drink to order when he came to her bar. She would purpose a toast to Zack when the song was over, to make Cloud happy.

_There is nothing left of you_

_I can see it in your eyes_

_Sing the anthem of the angels_

_And say the last goodbye_

_I keep holding onto you_

_But I can't bring you back to life_

_Sing the anthem of the angels_

_And say the last goodbye._

_Sing the anthem of the angels_

_And say the last goodbye._

_Sing the anthem of the angels._

Cloud handed the microphone to Yuffie and walk off the stage, tears silently rolling down his cheeks. Aeron walked over to him and led him to the bar. Everyone followed and Tifa handed out the shots, even giving one to Reno.

"To Zack Fair, a better man than any will ever be." Cloud said, raising his glass and throwing back the shot. Everyone followed his lead. Nanaki, for lack of a better method, picked up the glass in his mouth and tossed his head back as the bitter liquid slid down his throat. Tifa wrapped her hand around Cloud's and led him upstairs. Aeron wiped here eyes and turned to Reno. Without giving it a second thought, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"I bet he would have loved that. He always did love to listen to Cloud sing." she said softly into his chest. They stood like that until the peace was broken by Yuffie, who had decided to start a drum solo without warning anyone. She'd always had a knack for lightening the mood of a room, which they were thankful for.

**A/N: Ok, you caught me... There _is_ CloudXZack implied here. I adore the pairing and couldn't help myself. But in this instance, it is only talking about how close they were as friends.**

**Rest in Peace **

**Zack Fair**

**1984 - 2007**

**Died acheiving his dream of becoming a hero. **

**He saved the Savior after all.**

***cries***

**A/N: The dates are actually pretty acurate. He would have been 30 in April of 2013 (Going by my story's dates.) I got the timline from Wikipedia, but I'm just gonna stick with em.**


	29. Scotch

Chapter 29

Scotch

The party progressed merrily from there. Cloud and Tifa came back and started serving drinks while Barret played DJ in Cloud's place. Aeron was dragged onto the dance floor by Yuffie and after a few bouts of dancing to the sporadic rave music she collapsed onto a barstool beside Reno, panting.

"It looked like you were havin' fun out there, yo." he mused, laughing at her annoyed expression. She ordered a glass of scotch and drank it in one gulp. Reno blinked, mildly shocked.

"You know scotch is meant for sippin' right?" he asked. She laughed.

"If you sip it, you taste it. And I don't really want to." she explained, ordering another glass. She swiveled her stool around and leaned against the bar, surveying the party in full swing.

Yuffie was still dancing, whirling glow sticks around and creating an eye-catching effect. Vincent was sitting at one of the table having a lively discussion with Reeve and Cloud. Nanaki and the children were sitting on the now vacant stage, chatting idly. Barret was switching between the dance floor and the turntables, trying to dance and DJ at the same time. He was doing a rather good job Aeron though. Tifa had joined them on the dance floor and was enjoying herself immensely. Cait Sith was on the dance floor too, occasionally retrieving a glow stick Yuffie had accidentally flung.

Aeron reached behind the bar and pulled out another glass, setting it in front of Reno.

"Pick your poison." she said simply, grabbing the bottle of scotch for herself.

"Tequila, yo." Aeron reached behind the bar again and handed him the bottle.

"Don't get too drunk. I don't want to carry you home." she said, knocking her fourth glass back. She briefly wondered why it was that she could get drunk and suffer a hangover but Cloud couldn't, even though she'd had more Mako enhancements then him. It was probably the Jenova cells she decided and poured herself another glass.

"Keep up that pace, it'll be me carryin' you home." Reno chuckled as he took a drink. She smiled and set her glass back on the bar.

"We should go dance." she said suddenly, seizing Reno's hand and dragging him onto the dance floor. The song that was playing had a good beat to it and Aeron easily moved to it. After a moment, Reno joined her and they were soon dancing and moving around the floor with each other. His eyes studied her as she moved, mesmerized by how she moved her hips perfectly to the music. She twisted and twirled in front of him, occasionally moving her body against his, making him blush. He could feel Cloud's gaze on him but he dare not look at him, in case looks suddenly had the capability to kill.

Once Aeron had gotten tired again, she retreated back to the bar and poured herself another glass of scotch. By now, she had a light flush to her cheeks, but beyond that, she didn't seem drunk. As Reno threw back his fifth shot of tequila, Aeron stretched and yawned. He looked at the clock, seeing it was almost midnight. Nanaki was just ushering the two children upstairs, he being as tired as they were.

The party had been going for almost six hours now. Reno was starting to feel rather tired himself. They were usually both asleep by now.

"You gettin' tired too, yo?" he asked Aeron. She threw back her seventh glass of scotch and nodded. Yuffie, sensing that they were about to leave, walked over to them and pulled them both into a hug.

"Thank you so much for the party guys. It was great." she said while pointing at the decorations the two had put up.

"You should be thanking Tifa. It was her idea." Aeron told her, steering her toward the barmaid. She ran off toward her, only to be replaced with Vincent.

"I am going home too. I will walk with you." It wasn't a question They shrugged and pulled on their coats.

After saying goodbye to everyone, the walked out the door into the soon-to-be snowstorm. Aeron shivered and snuggled up against Reno. He welcomed the warmth and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They walked home in relative silence, the only noise being their feet crunching through snow and the howling wind. They soon arrived at Aeron's door, and after a quick goodbye hug to Vincent, she and Reno fled into the warm house.

**A/N: Ok, so Aeron's "If you sip it, you taste it. And I don't really want to." line came from one of my own direct quotes. **

**And Reno's "You know scotch is meant for sippin' right?" line is directly from my ex-boyfriends's step-father. **

**It was a Christmas party (2009) and they said I wouldn't drink it. I showed them. lol**


	30. Revelation

Chapter 30

Revelation

"I'm never going outside again." Aeron muttered, taking off her coat and throwing it on the coat rack. Reno laughed, since it was her idea to go out in the first place.

"I'll remember that the next time you say I have to get out more, yo." he said, following her up the stairs. She climbed into bed and snuggled up against his back when he joined her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he felt her breath tickling his neck.

"You're hands are still cold, yo." he said, wiggling away from them as they pressed against his stomach. He wasn't lying, but that wasn't why he was trying to escape. Feeling her body pressed against his and her hands on him felt good. Too good actually. It didn't help when she teasingly ran her hands over his stomach up to his chest, softly brushing over his nipples. He shuddered with pleasure as she giggled.

"They're not that cold." she said, running her hands back down his chest, stopping when she reached the waist of his pants. She nestled her face into his neck, her lips softly brushing the sensitive skin. He bit his lip as the heat returned to his cheeks and groin. She was acting oddly. He rolled over to face her.

"You're awfully snuggly tonight." he stated. She smiled and nodded slightly. He could smell the scotch on her breath as she could smell the tequila on his. She leaned forward slightly, putting her face quite close to Reno's.

"Do you want me to not be?" she asked, the slightest slur to her voice. He stared into her bright Mako eyes. Did he want her to be like this? He shouldn't, since he was sure she was only influenced by the alcohol. She wouldn't want him if she was sober, right? But he couldn't deny that he wanted to keep feeling her body against him. He really hoped it was just the alcohol he'd consumed driving his actions.

"I do." he whispered. She smiled wider and pushed her face forward to nuzzle his neck softly. After a few moments, he felt her lips moving on his neck.

"Hey Reno?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah?" She wrapped her arms around him and caressed his side gently.

"I like you. A lot." she confessed. Guilt and joy rushed through his heart at her words. He was happy that his feelings were returned, but he couldn't understand why they were. In his mind, he was a horrible human being. He'd taken innocent lives and done so many more awful things. How could she care for someone like him? Would she even look at him if she knew the extent of his shame?

"Reno?" Her voice broke his thoughts and he found her staring sadly into his eyes. She looked worried and nervous.

"You don't like me." she said, her eyes falling to look anywhere but at his. Without thinking, he raised his hand to her face and caressed her cheek.

"I do." he said before he could stop himself. He eyes turned back to his, searching them. He continued.

"But I shouldn't. I don't deserve someone like you." he said, his voice full of distain for himself.

"Why not Reno?" she asked, bringing her own hand to his face, her thumb tracing one of the red tattoos beside his eye. He sighed.

"I'm not a good person Aeron. I shouldn't even be allowed to live after the things I've done. I'm a killer. But you, you're a wonderful person. Beautiful and innocent. You saved me, even though you hated me. I killed your brother, and yet, you forgave me and even came to care for me. I don't deserve any of it." he gushed, cursing the alcohol for loosening his tongue. She sighed softly and wrapped her arms around him tightly, pulling his chest against hers.

"Don't say such things about yourself. Please." she whispered against his ear.

"No matter what you've done in the past, you're not that person anymore. That person died when I found you. Stop living in agony over things you can't change." Reno couldn't reply to that. He was speechless. She pulled away from him to look into his eyes again. She knew what she'd said was easier said than done, but she wanted, she needed some sign that he would try.

He stared back into the endless blue of her eyes. Her face was centimeters from his. He felt her soft breaths on his lips. She closed the distance and pressed her lips against his. He was momentarily shocked but he quickly recovered and began massaging her lips with his own. She entangled her fingers in his hair, pulling his hair-tie out in the process as the kiss slowly intensified. He wrapped his arms around her small form and slid his hand up her back and behind her neck.

After what Reno thought was an eternity of bliss, Aeron pulled away to catch her breath. She snuggled into his chest as he played with her hair and she soon fell asleep. Reno reveled in the taste she'd left in his mouth. It was so sweet, and yet, still tasted strongly of scotch. As he followed Aeron into slumber, he strongly hoped that they would remember the events of that night.

**A/N: I know. I fail at writing the emotional stuff. I'm much better with the amusing cute stuff. But look on the bright side. They finally kissed. ^^**


	31. Secrets

Chapter 31

Secrets

February 25, 2013

It had been two months since Aeron and Reno shared their first kiss. Fortunately, they had both remembered it, creating a rather awkward morning. But they soon gave into their feelings for each other, much to the annoyance of Cloud. He simply refused to get over his grudge against the Turk. He would often voice his disapproval by simply leaving the room when the two showed any affecting toward each other. He had even gone so far as to snarl viciously at Reno when he once kissed Aeron in his presence.

New Years had passed with them throwing a dinner party, inviting Vincent, Cloud, Tifa, Marlene and Denzel. The others had been away on other affairs, leaving Aeron and Vincent with much less to cook, though not by much. They had ended up being snowed in for the night, but Aeron had accommodated everyone with her extra rooms. January had been somewhat depressing, due to the fact that it held the anniversaries of their friends deaths and the meteor practically destroying Midgar. Aeron and Cloud had left for a few days to visit the memorials, leaving Reno home alone and very bored.

It had finally stopped snowing a week earlier and now it was all gone. Reno was laying in bed, listening to the shower running and Aeron humming, thinking about recent puzzling events. Aeron had been disappearing for hours at a time since the snow had cleared, not telling Reno where she was going. She always came back covered in dirt, but looking very pleased with herself. He would ask her where she'd been, but she would never answer.

Today, he'd decided to follow her. Waiting until she had left the room, he snuck down the stairs and watched as she disappeared into the laundry room. After waiting almost ten minutes, he followed her. She was no where to be seen when he opened the door. After looking around, he noticed that one of the walls look strangely angled. After he pressed on it, it slid open, revealing a spiraling staircase.

"Well, that's new, yo." he said quietly. The staircase led both up, probably to the roof, and down, to the basement. Remembering that Aeron had come back covered in dirt, he descended the staircase, stepping quietly so as not to get caught. He momentarily wondered why he was being so sneaky. He didn't really think she'd mind him looking around. He did live there, and she always seemed to enjoy when Reno figured things out about her. But something told him this time would be different.

He reached the end of the stairs and found himself in a tiny room without doors. But after a brief look around, he saw the tiniest sliver of light coming from under one of the walls. Another hidden door. He pressed on this one, but it didn't move. He ran his hands over it, finding a small latch. He pulled on it and the door shifted open slightly, causing dust to rain down on him. It was if the door hadn't been open in years, so, why was there light radiating from behind it? He pulled a bit harder and it finally slid open enough for him to squeeze through it.

He found himself in another dark room, shaped much like the laundry room one floor above him. The light was coming from a cracked door in front of him and now that there was more of it, he could see that it was strangely similar to the glow of Mako. He pushed on the door, expecting it to simply swing open, but it wouldn't budge. Reaching his arm through the small space, Reno felt around only to find that the door had been jammed shut by a long metal table.

He decided that trying to open the door was hopeless. Aeron was obviously not down here, but what was that weird blue-green light that was coming from this room? He peeked through the gap, seeing a room that looked much like that strange room upstairs. There were two metal operating tables with restraints on them. Between them was a rolling chair and a large filing cabinet. Everything was covering in a thick layer of dust.

His eyes wandered toward the source of the strange blue-green glow. He nearly cried out in surprise as his gaze came to rest on a huge containment tank, filled with none other than hundreds of gallons of Mako. The small room that contained it was guarded by a set of prison like bars that, Reno noted, were bent in multiple places. It was like some kind of creature had tried to pry them apart. He continued to look around the room until his gaze next fell to the floor.

Scattered across it were papers and files. Most of the writing was impossible to make out, but there were a few files within reach from the door. Reno pulled them toward him, scanning the pages for information that might tell him what was here or why this was here to begin with. Most of the papers were useless, but he did find one file that caught his interest. It was labeled as 'Experiment A-7 - Mako 400'. He flipped it open and began reading they typed notes.

_"… Specimen shows no sign of Mako Poisoning after 400th injection in her 7th year of age. I may have found the strain of DNA superior to even the JENOVA project. Experiment A-13 has shown nearly instantaneous healing abilities and it is becoming easier to perform longer living dissections on the subject…"_

Reno was disgusted with the text. Living dissections were inhumane to say the least. But to perform them on someone so young was unthinkable. He flipped through a few more pages until another one caught his attention. There was a physical description of 'Experiment A-13'.

_Height: 43 in_

_Weight: 50.6 lbs_

_Age: 7 years_

_Name: Ex. A-13 - "Aeron"_

Reno dropped the files and stepped away from them, bumping into the wall behind him. He sunk to the floor and stared down at his hands. They were shaking violently, along with the rest of his body. He stared at the files he'd just dropped as though they would bring to life the horror held in their pages. When he'd dropped them, a small collection of photographs had fallen out and scattered. He stared at them in horror as they were reviled to be photos of Aeron as a child.

* * *

**A/N: This is why Vincent and Aeron are able to identify with each other, along with Sephiroth. Damn scientists and they're freaky experiments!**

**So, I wanted to add a special shout out to the person I consider this story's number 1 fan: xxDarkAssassinxx**

**Her review of my last chapter really inspired me to keep writing while I had some serious writer's block:**

**"Yes! Finally! Woohoo! Yaaay! That was amazing! It was really good! Please update soon!"**

**Thanks so much and please enjoy the rest of the story!**


	32. Horrors

Chapter 32

Horrors

The pictures weren't of pleasant childhood memories. Not in the least. They held the full color proof of the torments the young Aeron had endured. Fully dissected limbs, splayed open and photographed in their healing processes. Full abdominal dissection taken in sickly clear color, the blood looking like it could simply leak out of the picture.

Things like this had never bothered Reno. Being a Turk, it was a job requirement. But he couldn't help himself when he saw these pictures of the girl he'd come to care so deeply for. Pictures of her cut into pieces and still awake for it, bleeding, crying and begging for it to end. He retched in a corner of the small room as tears began to stream down his face. It was the first time he'd felt like this. He was horrified by what Aeron had been subjected to. Why had no one protected her? Where was Alexander? Why did he let this happen to her? Reno's body was racked with sobs and he panted and hit the hard cement floor, over and over.

After what seemed like an hour, Reno stood up and walked out of the room, tightly latching the hidden door behind him. He walked back up the spiral staircase and soon found himself back in the laundry room. Aeron hadn't returned, so he closed the door behind him, hiding the evidence of his discovery. An aching pain began to radiate from his hand and he looked down at it. Blood dripped on the floor as his torn knuckles bled freely. Perhaps pummeling the floor hadn't been the best idea.

He needed some way to relax. He was still shaking and he just wanted to forget what he'd seen. But first, he needed to wash his mouth out. After doing so, he dragged himself into the second bathroom and turned on the jacuzzi. He stripped and switched on the water jets before climbing in. He sunk in until he was under the frothing water up to his lips. He closed his eyes but opened them immediately. Those pictures had come back the second he had closed his eyes and the pain in his chest returned.

His mind wandered as the hot water relaxed his muscles and occasionally sent a stinging pain through his damaged hand. He wanted to know why he felt the way he did for her. Why there was an unbearable pain in his chest from knowing what she'd been through. He had a strong urge to find her, wrap her in his arms and protect her from everything that wanted to cause her pain.

"Do I love her?" he whispered into the water. It was such a foreign thought. Reno had never loved anyone that he could remember. He'd been an orphan, so he'd never had parents to love. His relationship history was and endless list of one night stands. He was well known for being a womanizer who knew how to get into any girl's bed. But he didn't think it was impossible for him to love. And what he was feeling right now was what love had been described as when he'd once asked Elena. His trance like state was broken by the very object of his contemplation.

"Reno, where are you and why is there blood on the floor out here?" Aeron called from the hall. Her voice startled him for a moment.

"In here, yo." he called, sinking as far into the water as he could. Though they shared tender touches, soft kisses and a bed, they'd never actually gone beyond sleeping next to each other. It was a very strange experience for Reno to be hiding himself from a female. She opened the door and leaned against the wall, her eyebrow quirked in the still unanswered question.

"I scraped my hand across somethin' in the kitchen. I'll clean up the blood when I get out." he said, not meeting her eyes. He couldn't even look at her. He was afraid he wouldn't see her, but the young girl in those pictures. She walked over to the side of the tub and dipped her hands into the water, then using them to slick back her messy bangs.

Reno looked like something was really bothering him and it bothered her. He had been happy for the past few months, though she'd feared a relapse in his mood since he was still sensitive about being touched by anyone. She reached into the water and fished his hands out before he realized what she was doing.

"Reno, you didn't scrape your hand on anything. You pummeled something." she stated, inspecting the damaged hand. The white of his knuckle bones could be seen and the swelling had begun.

"It's fine, yo." he replied quietly. She shook her head and reached for his face, lifting his chin so she could look into his eyes.

"This needs stitches, bandages and medicine. Keep it out of the water until I come back." she ordered and walked out of the room, going to the bathroom with all her medical supplies. Reno inspected his hand and grimaced. It was pretty bad.

"Reno, you need to tell me what's wrong." she said, returning to the room. Dropping the armful of supplies, she handed him a towel and motioned for him to get out of the water. She hadn't asked him nicely, which Reno knew was a sign that she wasn't going to be denied her answers. He could always lie, but she had an uncanny ability to notice that he was doing so.

"I'm worried about you Reno. I don't often pry into your life because I know what it's like to have things you need to stay hidden, but sometimes that's not the right thing to do." she continued, her voice soft.

She began to quietly clean and bandage his hands after he'd gotten out of the water. He'd wrapped himself tightly in one of her soft black towels. Hoping to break the silence and change the subject, he asked her a question.

"Why are all your towels black? It's kinda weird, yo."

"Mako stains fabric as badly as blood. Black towels don't show those stains." she explained, glancing up momentarily.

"You know, that look on your face looks just like the one my brother had on my eighth birthday." she murmured, almost too quietly.

"What do you mean, yo?" he asked, wishing he'd been in from of a mirror. He was really hoping it wasn't a look of pity. Before she could answer him, a loud crash followed by curses resounded through the house. Footsteps echoed through the hall and stopped in front of the bathroom door.

"Remember Loz, we're here for the Turk. Little sister is not to be harmed." a familiar voice commanded. Aeron and Reno's eyes widened.

"That's Yazoo's voice." They gasped.

**A/N: I feel like I haven't posted in forever. I know it's only been like a week, but I went to AFO and it feels like forever since Friday. I had tons of fun and found really good Reno and Rude cosplayers. Zack, Cloud and Tifa were there too along with Yazoo and Kadaj. No Sephiroth though. :( . It was pretty cool. Can't wait for next year.**


	33. Uninvited

Chapter 33

Uninvited

A moment later, the door crashed in and hit Aeron solidly in the back of the head. She yelped and fell against Reno, losing consciousness. He wrapped his arms protectively around her.

"Loz! I told you not to harm Little Sister!" Yazoo snapped, walking into the room gracefully, followed by Loz, who was cowering. Reno briefly wondered why they were calling her 'Little Sister', but his thoughts were cut short by Aeron's body being snatched away from him. She was cradled in Loz's arms.

"Let her go!" Reno snarled. Yazoo chuckled and tossed his clothes to him.

"Get dressed. You're coming with us." he said simply. He even seemed to be bored. Loz brushed a strand of hair behind Aeron's ear and lifted her head up to see that there was blood dripping from it.

"Little Sister is bleeding Yazoo." he whined. His childlike personality confused Reno so very much and it seemed to annoy his own brother.

"Of course she is you fool. You threw a door at the back of the head. No matter how much Mako she's been dosed with, that's still going to affect her." he growled and handed Loz a small towel that was on the sink.

"Put this on the wound. We'll have to take her with us." He turned to Reno who was just pulling his pants on. The red head watched Loz with worried eyes as the silver haired man gently pressed the cloth to the back of Aeron's neck.

"What do you want with us, yo?" he growled through clenched teeth. He wanted so badly to attack them, but they had Aeron and he couldn't allow her to be hurt.

"We were only sent for you, but since Loz had to break Little Sister, we have to bring her too so she'll be okay. That's all you need to know for now." Yazoo drawled, acting as though he had something far more interesting to be doing.

Once Reno had finished dressing, Yazoo grabbed his wrist and dragged him from the room as Loz followed, carrying a still unconscious Aeron. The blindfolded the red head and tied his hands behind his back. He could feel himself being taken outside and pushed into a small, cramped space. The trunk of a car perhaps? He thrashed and fought back, but it was futile. There was a loud slam above him and another two as Loz and Yazoo got into the vehicle.

"You think he'll be mad about Little Sister coming with us?" Loz asked once they'd gotten into the stolen car. Yazoo turned the key and the engine roared to life.

"Probably not, since she was deeply cared for by Sephiroth. I'm sure he would be happy to see her when he returns." Yazoo replied, glancing at the girl in his brother's arms. She was quite beautiful and very different from the memories Sephiroth had of her. In those, she was only a child, still wrapped in bandages. After a long silence, Loz returned to looking down at the girl he was holding.

"Why does Genesis want to bring Sephiroth back using Weiss's body? I thought we were meant fro that." he asked carefully, hoping it wasn't an impertinent question. Yazoo had been so moody lately and he didn't want to get snapped at again.

"We were, but since Cloud killed Kadaj, we aren't as useful. You and I were never meant to be used for such a purpose." he replied, almost sadly. He stared at the road as they drove out of the city and toward the surrounding mountains where they were hiding out.

"I think Genesis might miss him. They were once very close." he added before he went totally silent. It began to rain, making their surrounding seem much more depressing. The rocks and ground seemed to share the same color, creating a dull landscape. Loz had never been one to like flowers or beautiful things, but some kind of color around them would have been welcome even by him.

Meanwhile, Reno was miserable in the small trunk. The rain was leaking in and soaking him, his damaged hand ached and there was a cramp from hell forming in his lower back and shoulders. Being bound like he was had to be one of the most annoying experiences of his life. He was amused with himself at how fast he'd gone into Turk mode when they'd appeared. He'd been calculating every move they made, but he'd been disappointed. He was hoping for some sign of weakness in them, but he'd found none.

"Damn Remnants." he growled and glared at his two kidnappers through the metal surrounding him. The car stopped and he heard the doors open and close. He expected them to come for him, but much to his chagrin, they seemed to be walking away.

"Let me out of here you bastards!" he yelled, struggling to get free. A moment later, the trunk lid flew open and Reno was blinded by light. Rain peppered his face as he shut his eyes against them. Someone picked him up and tossed him over their shoulder. From what he could tell, it wasn't Loz or Yazoo. He rested his head against the person's back. There was bare skin where he'd expected to find a shirt, which baffled him even more. He opened his eyes and found himself looking down at a pair of white pants with a double sheath attached to them. Chills ran down his spine as he remembered the Deepground incident. This looked just like what that psycho Weiss was wearing.

His thoughts were cut short by being tossed onto a small cot against the wall of a cave. He landed gracefully on his face and ended up falling onto the floor. Someone behind him laughed and picked him up by his arm and spun him around. He found himself face to face with Genesis.

"You're dead, yo." he gasped, though he mentally slapped himself. If he was dead, he wouldn't be standing there, holding him up.

"So it would have seemed, but they said that about Sephiroth too, didn't they." he replied in his soft voice. He'd always sounded so kind and gentle, very much like the voice of Cloud, but once you looked into his eyes, the madness and cruelty was clear. Reno looked down, and as expected, in his free hand was his favorite play, Loveless.


	34. Prologue

Chapter 34

Prologue

Vincent had been spending his days in the library over Seventh Heaven for the past month. He'd found a book hidden on the bottom shelf at the very back of the library that contained information about Chaos and held references to other books about it. It was about bloody time he'd found some information about the accursed demon haunting his mind.

"Now if only I could find Lucrecia's thesis and research." he muttered, flipping through pages he'd already read at least a dozen times. Just then, there was quiet knock on the door.

"Vincent, can I come in?" It was Marlene.

"Since when did you ask?" he called and she opened the door.

"Tifa told me to. There was a letter delivered for you." she explained, handing him the letter and hopping up on the edge of the desk. Vincent slipped one of the sharp fingertips of his gauntlet under the edge of the envelope and tore it open. Inside, there was a small piece if parchment of the kind used in very old books. He opened the folded note and read it aloud.

_When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end _

_The goddess descends from the sky_

_Wings of light and dark spread afar _

_She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting._

"What's that mean?" Marlene asked, leaning over to read the writing while Vincent stared at the note, confused.

"Go get Cloud." he ordered and read the note over again. The girl obeyed and ran out of the room.

"Why would someone send me the prologue to Loveless?" he asked the empty room. A few minutes later, Cloud walked into the library and quirked his eyebrow at Vincent.

"You summoned me?" he asked, grinning. Vincent handed him the note.

"Does this mean anything to you? Someone sent it to me, but I'm at a loss for what it means. All I know is that it's from Loveless." he explained. At the mention of Loveless, Cloud blanched and looked up at the raven haired man with serious eyes.

"Genesis Rhapsodos used to read Loveless all the time. Did anything else come with this?" Vincent picked up the envelope and tipped it upside down over the desk. A long red strand of hair fell onto the surface.

"Reno." Vincent stated, since he was the only one who could have matched the strand.

"Aeron." Cloud gasped and dashed out of the room, Vincent in close pursuit. They startled Tifa, who was tending the bar as they ran through and out the front door.

"What has them in such a tizzy?" she muttered as she poured a drink for an early customer. Meanwhile, Cloud and Vincent jumped onto Fenrir and sped off toward Aeron's house.

Upon their arrival, they noticed the first things amiss. The door was still open, though only a crack and there was a small blood trail from the door to the street. It ended at a set of skid marks that belonged to a small vehicle.

"That's Aeron's blood." Vincent noted, dashing into the house. The blood trail led to a demolished bathroom door. The Jacuzzi was still running, which Aeron never allowed, and there was a note on the small table. Cloud came up behind the taller man and reached around to grab the note. He showed it to Vincent.

_If you ever want to see Aeron or Reno again, Vincent Valentine must go to the cliffs outside of Midgar. He must go alone. Only then will Aeron and Reno be allowed to return to you._

_- Genesis_

"That's the same handwriting as the note I received earlier. The one with a strand of Reno's hair in it." He noted. Cloud looked up to him, silently asking what to do.

"You can't go alone Vincent. You don't know what they want or what's waiting for you." Cloud tried to plead with his friend. Though he'd never really known Genesis, he knew the man was bad news. Zack had told him that he'd gone insane and turned into a murderer.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so the next few chapters revolve around Genesis's obsession with Loveless. All the Acts will be in it just as he read them in the game. They will be in _italics_ and underlined. **

**Also, just a warning for future chapters, I am not so great at battle scenes. They are short. **

**Also, for those of you who have been wanting to know what happened to Reno in chapter 1, I've finally written it and will post it soon-ish.**


	35. Act I

Chapter 35

Act I

"You haven't changed, yo." Reno muttered, returning his gaze to Genesis's eyes. They were beautiful, like all the eyes of those in SOLDIER. His hair was back to it's original auburn shade, but it was a bit longer than before.

_"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess. _

_We seek it thus, and take it to the sky. _

_Ripples form on the water's surface. _

_The wandering soul knows no rest."_

He recited. He was obviously referring to himself as the wandering soul, as though that would explain his sudden reappearance.

"And which act is that?" asked someone from the darkness of the cave's depths. Genesis smirked.

"Act 1 of course. We can't get ahead of ourselves now." he said, turning Reno so his back was toward him. The ropes around his wrists were untied and tossed aside.

"Where's Aeron, yo?" Reno asked impatiently. He was becoming very worried about her.

"The little one is fine. She's at the back of this cave, where she'll be warm. I had her taken to my bed, so she can heal uninhibited. You may go see her if you'd like." Genesis offered, gesturing toward the blackness. A moment later, Weiss came into view.

"You're free to do as you please here, as long as you don't try to leave or cause any problems. Is that understood?" Reno didn't answer, but Weiss didn't pursue to subject. Instead, he tilted his head towards the back of the cave and motioned for Reno to follow. He obeyed and followed Weiss to a large curtain that divided the cave. Reno was shown into a large dome like room. It had all the comforts of an ordinary bedroom. Curled up on the bed was Aeron and sitting beside her was Yazoo. Loz had taken a spot on the floor and was in the process of removing her shoes and socks.

"What do you want with me, yo?" he asked Weiss, who shrugged.

"It's not really you that we want. You're just the bait." he explained. Reno frowned. Bait was not something we wanted to be. He'd been fishing once a few years ago and had learned that something unfortunate always happened to the bait.

"For who, yo?"

"The other Turks. Well, a former Turk actually." Reno's eyes widened slightly but he scoffed.

"You're out of luck then. I left the Turks about four months ago. And as for Vincent, there's no way he'd come for me. He doesn't even like me, yo." he explained, causing Weiss to glare daggers at him and stomp back towards to front of the cave. No doubt to inform Genesis of the bad news. Deciding that the Remnants were getting to close to Aeron for comfort, Reno walked over and sat heavily on the bed beside Yazoo but not too close. The silver haired men regarded him with slight annoyance but said nothing.

"Has she said anythin', yo?" Reno asked, not particularly enjoying the dead silence of the room. Loz stared down at the earthen floor and looked to be crying. Yazoo frowned and shook his head.

"Little Sister has said nothing. The wound stopped bleeding and seems to be healing already, but she's still not waking up." he explained sadly. Reno looked into his eyes and caught a glimpse of something quite unexpected. Yazoo had the look of a child who's loved one was hurting and he didn't understand why. Yazoo looked scared and confused about Aeron's ailment. It seemed as though he couldn't wrap his head around someone being in this condition.

"She'll be fine, yo. She's practically made of Mako." Reno said before he could register what he was doing. Why was he giving comfort to the Remnant? Maybe he was trying to comfort himself. He knew very well that she wasn't in a good condition and he really had no clue if she would be okay. Sure, Mako makes healing happen faster, but what if it was different with her? She could become intoxicated easily and suffer the hangover in the morning. Mako was supposed to put a stop to that too, but not with her. Reno reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers.

"So Reno, in what manner would you like to die?" asked Genesis nonchalantly as he walked into the room.

"Not at all, yo." he replied, putting on a fake grin. Genesis chuckled menacingly.

"Then what do you suggest I do? I need Vincent. My original plan was that the other Turks would ask for his help and he'd come with them to rescue you." he explained, crossing his arms and leaning against the cave wall. Reno was at al loss for a solution. He refused to suggest that Aeron could easily be used.

"I don't have any idea how your plan will work. Taking a random person from the streets would have gotten you farther than I will." he noted. It wasn't totally true, since the one most likely to come would be Cloud, not Vincent. That thought did comfort him a bit though. With Aeron missing, Cloud and the rest of their posse would come for her. She would be safe until they got there, since no one seemed to be showing hostility toward the girl.

"Then I no longer have a use for you." Genesis drawled and waved Weiss over.

"Dispose of him. Be brutal. When you're done, discard his body somewhere it will be easily found." he ordered and walked into one of the many side caverns. Smirking, Weiss walked toward Reno, who stood up and met him half way.

"Are you so eager to die?" he asked, taking Reno's arm and leading him out of the cave. It was still raining and it seemed to be coming down harder than before.

"Would there be a point in fightin' when I'm easily outmatched yo?" Reno asked rhetorically. The white haired man smirked and released him. Reno stepped away, but didn't retreat.

"Touché. I will make your death painless, so I think a clean decapitation is in order." he mused and drew one of his blades. He pushed Reno onto his knees, covering the redhead's black pants in cream colored mud. He briefly noted that if this was a normal day, Aeron would be quite annoyed that he'd ruined them. There was no saving them really. Weiss swung the blade around a few times, displaying his excellent swordsmanship and finally raised it above Reno's head. The condemned man stared down into the muddy water pooling around him and awaited the final blow. A single tear rolled down his face as he silently begged the gods to protect Aeron.

"I do love you." he whispered inaudibly and shut his eyes. Aeron's smiling face appeared in his mind and comforted him as Weiss swung the blade…

**A/N: Oh no! Will this be the end of Reno? Will Aeron wake up? What does Genesis want with Vincent? Where the hell does Weiss fit into all of this? *cue dramatic 'DUN DUN DUN!'* We'll find out in the next installment of Time Goes On!**

**I know. I'm lame. lol**


	36. Act II

Chapter 36

Act II

Aeron's eyes fluttered open and she look around her. Reno was walking away with Weiss, who was supposed to be long dead. Yazoo and Loz were sitting around her and they seemed to be in a cave type structure. Reno walked through a large curtain a disappeared. _'Great, I'm surrounded by dead people.' _she thought.

"Reno." she rasped almost inaudibly, but Yazoo and Loz heard her. They whirled and stared at her before helping her sit up.

"Where is Reno?" she asked, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. Her shoes were gone, but she hardly noticed.

"Weiss took him outside to kill him Little Sister." Loz said as though it was no big deal. At that, she sprung to her feet and almost fell over from dizziness. Loz quickly caught her and let her lean on him.

"Why?" she asked, referring to Reno's demise.

"He was supposed to be bait for Vincent, but since we don't have someone for that anymore, Genesis ordered him to be killed and displayed to lure Vincent here." Yazoo explained. Aeron's eyes filled with tears and she stumbled forward quickly. Loz followed her, making sure she wouldn't fall. Slowly gaining her senses, she quickened her pace and nearly ran through the curtain. The Remnants followed her curiously.

She reached the cave entrance just as Weiss raised his blade to deal the finishing blow. Reno was kneeling in the mud, staring down at the ground. A sudden burst of energy tore through her body and she lunged forward as the blade began to come down.

"Stop!" she shrieked and slammed into Reno, sending him flying. She landed where he'd been kneeling and glared up at Weiss, who had halted his sword. The man regarded her with curiosity and sheathed his sword, offering her his hand. She took it and was hauled to her feet.

"I take it you had a good reason to stop me from completing my task?" he asked.

"You mean other than the fact you and Genesis are complete fools?" she replied angrily. By now, Reno had righted himself and moved into a sitting position. He watched Aeron and Weiss as the Remnants stayed in the cave entrance, doing the same.

"Oh? And how is that?" the white haired man asked, slight annoyance in his voice.

"You have me, don't you? Vincent would easily come for me." she explained, looking at Reno out of the corner on her eye. Weiss looked confused for a moment, turned and silently walked back into the cave. Once he'd disappeared, Aeron walked over to Reno and stood in front of him, studying him. Without warning, she fell to her knees and threw her arms around him, holding him tightly. He returned her embrace and buried his face in her hair, which was becoming soaked from the rain.

"Don't ever do that again!" she growled into his ear and let out a small sob. He held her tighter and kissed her neck.

"I'll try not to, yo. I just didn't want you to be used as their bait." he explained.

_"There is no hate, only joy for you are beloved by the goddess. _

_Hero of the dawn. Healer of worlds. _

_Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul. _

_Pride is lost, wings stripped away. _

_The end is nigh." _

Genesis's voice echoed through the cavern as he walked out into the rain. He was referring to Reno's luck at still being alive as being 'beloved by the goddess'.

"Loveless, Act 2." Aeron replied, planting herself firmly between the man and Reno. He smiled, and for once, it was a sincere smile.

"You no longer have a need to fear me. My dilemma is solved, so his life is no longer in danger." he explained. He wasn't one to lie, so Aeron got to her feet and turned to help Reno to his.

"Already on Act 2 are we? I feel so out of the loop. Have we really already passed the Prologue and Act 1?" she asked Genesis, who smiled fiendishly.

"Vincent will have opened with our Prologue by now and we've already performed Act 1 when you arrived." Only Reno noticed it, but at the mention of Vincent, Aeron's hand involuntarily clenched into a fist. She was worried about him.

"So, why do you want Vincent?" she asked, her voice showing only curiosity. Reno was beginning to see that Aeron was rather good at hiding things from people. Even Genesis seemed to drop his guard around her.

"It's not so much Vincent I want, but what's inside of him." At that, Aeron rolled her eyes.

"Of course." she muttered.

"I take it I'm not the first to want something like this from him."

"No, you're really not. So, which is it? Galian Beast, Death Gigas, Hell Masker, or Chaos?"

"Will he die if they're removed?" he asked.

"I don't know. No one's lived long enough to succeed in that venture." she retorted, the challenge clear in her voice. Weiss had emerged from the cave and taken up a spot beside Genesis. He patted Aeron on the head and laughed.

"She's a feisty one, isn't she." he remarked, earning a nod from the taller man. Aeron resisted the urge to snap at him and decided a death glare would suffice.

"Don't worry Aeron. We won't be removing them or anything of that sort. In fact, we don't even want to kill him. All we want is the energy that he creates when they're provoked." Genesis assured her and tilted his head toward the sky. The clouds overhead were becoming black and threatening.

"Since you've succeeded in drawing almost everyone out into this torrential downpour, can we please return to the warmth and dryness of the cave? I'm sure even a hostage would prefer that." Without waiting for a response, he walked back into the cavern, pulled off his soaked and dripping shirt, and disappeared.

**A/N: I know it's not detailed at all, but there. Now you have a shirtless Genesis. Just for you xxDarkAssassinxx.**


	37. Act III

Chapter 37

Act III

It had been hours since Reno's near death experience and it was now dark outside. He and Aeron had been given new, mud free clothes. Yazoo's to be exact. They were also given a bed to share. Aeron was curled up in Reno's arms and watching the two Remnants as the climbed into own their beds.

"Good night Little Sister." they said quietly and closed their eyes.

"Good night guys." she replied and snuggled closer against Reno's chest.

"Why do they call you little sister, yo?" he whispered.

"That's what Sephiroth called me. They're a part of him, so they feel the same for me as he did."

"You miss him." Reno stated. She nodded.

"Those two remind me of him a lot." she explained, turning around to face him. He smiled half-heartedly.

"What's wrong? You've been acting oddly all day."

"I'm a hostage. How am I supposed to act?" he asked sarcastically.

"Even for being a hostage you're acting odd. You know they have no reason to harm us, and yet, you're back is almost always against me or a wall. And when someone does manage to get behind you, you turn pale and get all twitchy." she explained, causing Reno to frown.

"You'd make a great Turk." he muttered in annoyance. She grinned wolfishly.

"Are you going to explain or shall I have to force it out of you?" she asked and slid her hands up to his sides and poked at his ribs. He squirmed and pulled away from her.

"Oh, please don't tickle me. That's the worst thing you could do." He wasn't kidding with her either. He despised being tickled with a burning passion. He would rather have his teeth pulled in all honesty.

"Then spill. What's bothering you?" He sighed and looked down at the pillow beneath his head. She reached up and lifted his chin, a look of concern on her face.

"You recall the day you found me?" he asked softly. She nodded as he avoided all eye contact.

"It was really late when I left the bar. Around two or so. I knew it had been a bad idea to go out drinkin' alone, but it had been a really bad week and I'd just gotten back from a mission. Of course I was armed with my EMR, but that doesn't really matter when I was too drunk to even stand up straight. I knew I was bein' followed by a group of guys, so I ducked into an alley to get away, but it was an ambush. They recognized me, just like you did, as the one who dropped the plate and killed their families." Reno paused and bit softly on his bottom lip. Aeron wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. He continued.

"They jumped me, and it started out like I'd expected. They took turns punchin' me until they decided I wasn't with the trouble of holdin' up. I fell and they started kickin' me. I could feel my bones crunchin' and breakin', but they weren't actually tryin' to kill me. I couldn't understand why, until they started cuttin' my clothes off. I tried to fight back, but by then, I was in no shape to fight a stuffed animal. I was on my back, so the flipped me over and…" he trailed off and shuddered. His eyes were squeezed shut, as if trying to block out the memory. Aeron petted his hair and held him close, trying to comfort him.

"They… They cut my pants off and one of them took his own off. I… I was so scared, yo. I wished they would just kill me, but they wouldn't. They said… They said I had to suffer." A quiet sob escaped his lips and he pulled Aeron tightly against him. It was hard for her to breathe, but she didn't complain.

"He kneeled behind me and… And…" he couldn't bring himself to say it. Aeron kissed his temple and petted his hair as tears streamed from his eyes and into her shirt.

"I'm sorry Reno. You're safe now. Nothing like that is ever going to happen to you again. I'll die first." she whispered softly. He snorted.

"That's my line, yo." he said and nuzzled her cheek.

"Why is it your line?"

"I know what happened to you Aeron. The experiments. I'm supposed to tell you that you'll never go through that again and that I'll protect you. But look at me. I'm a whimperin' mess in the arms of the woman that I l-…" he stopped himself before he could finish the sentence.

"That you what? Love?" she asked, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Though Reno didn't notice, as his eyes were once again closed.

"Yes. But I shouldn't love you. I don't deserve to be happy after what I've done."

"You're ridiculous. I know what you've done and it honestly doesn't bother me. You're not a bad person Reno. You were loyal to the people who owned you. It's what you were programmed to do from the first day with them." she explained.

"I'm a killer Aeron. And killer doesn't deserve to be happy."

"So you're saying anyone who kills deserves to be miserable for their whole life? Is that it? Even if it's they're job." she asked, becoming irritated.

"Yes." he replied. With that, she couldn't contain herself any longer. She pushed him away and slapped Reno, hard, across the face. She jumped out of the bed and glared down at him.

"You're saying that Cloud, Vincent, and even Zack deserved to be miserable for life and that they weren't worthy of happiness? How dare you! Did it ever occur to you that even if they were killers, they are heroes! By killing the people they did, they saved everyone, including you and I!" she shrieked, waking everyone in the cave before storming out and leaving a dejected Reno curled up in the bed.

Genesis was sitting outside the cave on the still damp ground when she came out. He was in the shadows and out of her line of vision. She stomped toward one of the rock piles that littered the desert and punched it. A sizeable chunk fell off and she glared down at her hand, which was now bleeding. After that, she wandered toward the lights of Midgar, not really trying to get there, but wanting to go away from Reno.

_"My friend, do you fly away now? _

_To a world that abhors you and I? _

_All that awaits you is a somber morrow, _

_No matter where the winds may blow _

_My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, _

_The gift of the goddess _

_Even if the morrow is barren of promises, _

_Nothing shall forestall my return." _

Came a soft voice from the shadows. Aeron regarded him with curiosity and walked toward him.

"And what brings you outside at such an hour?" he asked, patting the ground beside him. She growled.

"An idiot who thinks all killers are bad and undeserving of love." she sat down and looked up at him.

"I take it that you love the afore mentioned idiot?" he asked and Aeron nodded.

"You're really quite a strange hostage, you know that. Does it even bother you to be my captive?" he asked, tugging gently on one of her long bangs. She shrugged.

"You remind me of Sephiroth. I guess I just miss him."

"Do you want him to come back?" the man asked, Mako staring into Mako.

"No. Because he's no longer the Sephiroth I once knew. He's been twisted and warped. I don't want to see the man I adored and looked up to like that." she explained. Genesis patted her head.

"I understand."

**A/N: There you have it. I finally wrote in what happened to Reno. And yes, those are SephyXGenesis references. ^^**


	38. Act IV

Chapter 38

Act IV

February 26, 2013

Aeron had gone back inside with Genesis after a long talk about Sephiroth, Reno and even Zack. He let her sleep in his bed while he slept sitting against the wall beside her.

Meanwhile, Vincent flew toward the cliffs on one of Cid's air boards. He'd left before anyone was awake and had borrowed the device. Cid would be mad, but it was worth it. Little did he know that Cloud had heard him leave and had followed the raven haired man. He'd be damned if he was letting Vincent go into a fight blind and alone.

Genesis stood up, yawned and stretched, causing Aeron to stir. She reached out for him and pulled him toward her.

"Stay Reno." she whispered. Genesis smiled softly and pulled away without waking her and walked into the main room. Reno was sitting up and staring down at the earthen floor. He didn't even look up when Genesis stopped in from of him.

"You're a fool." he said quite frankly. Reno just sighed.

"She loves you, and you obviously love her. What's your problem?"

"Why do you care?"

"I'm rather fond of her. And you're hurting her." he replied. Reno flinched when he said that.

"I was tryin' to save her pain. That's all that lovin' me will brin', yo." he replied, the pain obvious in his voice.

"Well, you're doing a terrible job."

"Ya think." Reno stated.

"She's still asleep. Go climb in bed with her, hold her until she wakes up, apologize and tell her you love her. How hard is that?" Genesis asked, obviously annoyed by Reno's complete and utter foolishness. As far as Genesis was concerned, it you love someone, you don't let anything stop you from being with that person. Even death. Reno decided that the statement gave him just chance to annoy the ginger haired man a bit. He stood up, stretched and walked past him.

"Is that what you and Sephiroth did?" he asked quickly and darted around the corner before Genesis could tear him limb from limb. In doing so, he missed the sad smile on the older man's face.

"Of course." was his almost silent reply. With that, he sighed and walked out of the cave. He knew Vincent was coming, but not when he would arrive.

"I do so despise surprises." he muttered.

As Reno returned to Aeron's side, Vincent was coming up on Genesis, Weiss and the Remnants. He had discovered Cloud but had allowed the younger man to follow.

"Do you have a plan?" the blonde asked, coming up beside him. Vincent shrugged.

"I am walking into an obvious trap, supposedly alone. I was just going to wing it truthfully." he replied, shocking Cloud. Vincent wasn't one to walk into something unprepared.

"Though with you here, at least I have a back up plan now." Though he was annoyed that Cloud had followed without permission, he was glad the young savior had tagged along. At that moment, a large shadow passed over the two. Vincent reacted too slowly and was knocked off of his air board. He hit the ground with a loud thud and somersaulted, barely managing to land on his hands and knees. He lifted his face to Genesis with a particularly nasty snarl twisting his face.

"Hello Vincent Valentine." he said, his voice soft and sweet like honey. Cloud rushed to Vincent's side and held his sword in a defensive manner. Genesis shook his head in disappointment.

"I told you to come alone and yet, you still couldn't resist bringing this little upstart." He looked over Cloud and sighed.

"To think you defeated the great Sephiroth. A feat not even I could accomplish. It's truly a disgusting thought." he said mockingly. In all honesty, Cloud didn't look like much of a threat at first glance.

Vincent and Cloud glared at the man that hovered menacingly above them. He had the same single black wing that Sephiroth had. Both men had wondered how they managed to fly with only one wing. Genesis drew his sword and pressed his palm to the blade, activating the materia in it and causing it to glow. Without any more warning, he flew straight at Cloud, who was pushed out of the way by Vincent. Genesis continued his attack on Vincent now, who drew his Cerberus and fired three shots before dodging the unhalted attack.

"To slow." Genesis remarked as he flew past Vincent, slashing his right arm viciously. The raven haired man snarled and clutched the wound as Cloud rushed Genesis from the side. Too satisfied in his attack on Vincent, Genesis didn't notice Cloud until almost too late. His sword collided with Cloud's with such force, the blonde's blade was torn from his grip and sent flying.

"Is that the best you can do?" he snarled and backhanded Cloud across the face, knocking him almost into unconsciousness. Vincent had since recovered from the initial shock of the attack and picked up his gun. He fired two rounds at Genesis's back, but they were blocked by his sword, causing them to ricochet back at Vincent. Though he dodged the first one, the second buried itself in his left shoulder. Vincent snarled in pain and gripped his shoulder as blood soaked his hand and oozed between his fingers.

The gunman fell to his knees as Genesis landed gracefully in front of him.

"Stay back Cloud!" Vincent called, his pain obvious in his voice. A stunned and semi-concious Cloud could only watch helplessly as the man approached Vincent.

"I had hoped this would be a bit more of a challenge Vincent. I'm disappointed." he taunted. He rested his hand gently on Vincent's head and twisted his fingers in it. He tilted the wounded man's head up to look into his eyes, wanting to relish in the pain on his face. But instead of agony, he was greeted with a smirk. Vincent pulled his gun and once again fired at Genesis, clipping his shoulder. The ginger haired man jumped back and returned to the sky above them.

"Sneaky bastard." he growled as Vincent's form shifted slightly between himself, Galian Beast and back. Taking the shifting to his advantage, Genesis swooped down on Vincent once again and slashed his right shoulder, thus making Vincent unable to use either of his arms with much effectiveness. Now recovered, Cloud rushed to his injured friends side and tore part of his shirt off to use as a bandage.

_"My friend, the fates are cruel. _

_There are no dreams, no honor remains. _

_The arrow has left the bow of the goddess. _

_My soul, corrupted by vengeance, hath endured torment, _

_To find the end of the journey in my own salvation and your eternal slumber._

_Legend shall speak of sacrifice at world's end. _

_The wind sails over the water's surface, quietly but surely."_

Genesis recited poetically with a smirk of pure malice on his face as Cloud and Vincent glared up at him.

* * *

**A/N: I hope I'm living up to everyone's standards with Genesis. As much as I wanted him to be a good guy, I simply couldn't forget what he did to Zack psychologically. If not for him, Zack would probably still be alive. *cries***

**EDIT: Ok, so it's more Shinra and Hojo's fault that Zack Puppy is dead, but I'm still not taking all the blame off of Genesis. *pout***


	39. Act V

Chapter 39

Act V

"What do you want with me Genesis?" Vincent asked as calmly as possible. He was in a reasonable amount of pain with all the torn tendons and muscles in his shoulders, but he hardly showed it. That was a great annoyance on Genesis's part.

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you all of my plans?"

"Cause you're the villain. That's what you're supposed to do. Didn't you get the manual?" came a familiar voice from behind one of the large rock outcroppings that littered the vast plane between the cliffs and Midgar. Reno walked out, swinging what looked remarkably similar to Yazoo's gun-blade. He was also alone.

"Reno, you really are such a nuisance." Genesis growled and much to his chagrin, he was totally ignored by the red head.

"Hey ya Spiky. Hey Vince. It looks like you need some help." For the first time in their lives, they were actually happy to see him. Even Vincent, who's name he had just mangled. Though the same could not be said for Genesis, who was seething at being blatantly ignored. Foolishly allowing his temper to rule him, he swooped down on Reno. Unseen to him though, was the maniacal grin on the red head's face.

"Cocky bastard." Genesis snarled, aiming the tip of his sword for the back of Reno's neck. It would have been a clean severance of his spinal chord and a quick death, if not for something knocking him totally off his course. He spun in the air, only glimpsing a blonde streak in his vision before something painful attached to his shoulder.

"Aeron! Get off of me!" he growled, trying to pry her off of his back. Not only was she wrapping her arms and legs tightly around him, but she had her teeth buried deep into his shoulder. Being as strong as she was, she'd managed to bite through his armor which was supposed to hold off weapons such as swords and arrows.

Taking the distraction to their advantage, Cloud and Reno attacked Genesis from either side, both aiming for his midsection. Their aim was true and both blade skewered Genesis through the middle. He stopped struggling and blood bubbled up and out of his mouth. Cloud and Reno landed on the ground and looked up to watch what the dying man would do. Aeron, sensing that a fall was immanent, released Genesis and loosened her grip on him. Though he was her enemy now, she couldn't help but want to spare him the pain of crashing to the ground with such wounds.

"You have to land before you lose control over yourself and fall." she said gently to the dying man she held onto. He simply nodded and began to descend slowly. Once reaching the ground, he wavered slightly before collapsing back on Aeron. She kneeled and pulled him into her lap.

Reno stepped forward, ready to finish the job, but Cloud stopped him and sent him to help Vincent, who was now resting against a large rock.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way Genesis." Aeron said softly as she brushed a bit of hair out of his face. He coughed and nodded.

"As am I. I'm sure we could have made good friends and allies in another time." he rasped, his usual soft voice ruined by the blood entering his lungs.

"I guess this would be act five then?" she asked, holding back tears. Though she'd only known him for a day and she'd been his captive, she had considered him a friend. She'd hoped that he wouldn't have to die, but the fates were cruel. He smiled and nodded.

"You know Loveless very well, don't you Aeron."

"Sephiroth recommended it to me years ago. He said it reminded him of someone very close to his heart." she replied. A flash of shock crossed his eyes.

"Sephiroth… He…" Aeron nodded.

"Yes. He cared for you too. He was just too stubborn to tell you, since he knew you were degrading." she explained.

"But he could have stopped that. He refused to help me." Genesis nearly whined.

"All that would have been left for the two of you would have been to be hunted like animals. He couldn't bear the thought of it." At that, Genesis smiled and stared blindly into the sky.

_"Even if the morrow is barren of promises, _

_Nothing shall forestall my return. _

_To become the dew that quenches the land, _

_To spare the sands, the seas, the skies, _

_I offer thee this silent sacrifice." _

He whispered as a silver haired angel descended toward him. He lifted his hand towards the angel and it took his hand, pulling him into a gentle and loving embrace.

Aeron watched as Genesis was pulled into the Lifestream and a tear rolled down her cheek. It was both as sad and a hopeful sight. At least now he was out of misery and finally with whom he'd longed for the most.

"Are you alright?" Cloud asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. She nodded and looked over at Reno and Vincent. She'd managed to look just in time to see Vincent punching Reno square in the jaw. Cloud sighed.

"It truly boggles the mind how Reno can enrage even the most docile of us." Aeron stood up and walked over to them. She kneeled beside Vincent and looked at his wounds. They weren't bleeding as badly as they had been, but medical attention was probably a good idea.

"You need to go find some medical attention and soon." she remarked, earning a low but unthreatening growl. A little known fact about Vincent was that he had a very distinct hatred of doctors. It should have been obvious, given his experience with Hojo.

"Don't growl at me or I'll be less than gentle when I clean these." she warned. Reno was rubbing his jaw and sitting in front of Vincent, though he'd made sure to stay out of swinging range.

"Reno," Cloud asked, "How did you get the gun-blade?" The red head grinned.

"Yazoo gave it to me."

"Why?"

"Because he didn't want Aeron to be upset about losing someone close to her."

"We have to go back for them." Aeron stated suddenly, earning strange looks from everyone.

"What?" she asked, exasperated.

**A/N: Thank you all sooooo much for sticking with me for all 39 chapters. But I regret to say that I must be taking a break from writing more of this story. **

**1. I have school work building up and I can't afford to be failing any classes this year.**

**2. I have the worst kind of writer's block imaginable. I can't come out with ANYTHING good when it comes to this story or my Yu-Gi-Oh! story 'With Just A Bit Of Magic'.**

**But fret not my dear readers. As Genesis so wonderfully put it (and sexily might I add) "Nothing shall forestall my return..."**

**Also, to all the raging Genesis fangirls and boys... I'm sorry I killed him. I really am. I like him just as much as you. But what story can survive without a great villan? Sephiroth was just being stubborn and refused to jump into the plot... Even after I bribed him with cookies. *pout***


End file.
